via Govt urges tax collector to dialogue with defaulters – NewsDay Zimbabwe June 30, 2015
The new Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) board has to dialogue with tax defaulters in a bid to recover unpaid taxes, Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa said yesterday.
BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA
Zimra is owed close to $1 billion.
“People should not run away from Zimra. They should be encouraged to own up and Zimra must also help those who are not keeping books,” Chinamasa said while unveiling the board.
“The more we collect it can encourage us as government, as Finance ministers, to lower the tax rate. In other words, we will deal more with volumes and not the rate of taxation.”
The board is chaired by Willia Bonyongwe and will run for three years. Other members of the board are Percy Toriro (deputy chairperson), Sarudzai Njerere, Arnold Chidhakwa, Betty Katiyo, Nation Madongorere, Gershem Pasi (Zimra Commissioner-General), Nompumelelo Abu-Basutu, Moffat Nyoni and Finance permanent secretary Willard Manungo.
Chinamasa said “domestic resource mobilisation is an important source of revenue that is vital for the financing of national development programmes”.
“Government would want to see a situation where the country’s revenue generation capacity is driven by an expanding tax base rather than continuously changing the tax legislation,” he said.
Chinamasa said the mandate of the new board as set out by government would be to facilitate productive activities for the benefit of Zimbabwe Board members will be required to provide strategic leadership to the authority.
This involves formulating policies and strategies that will guide management in achieving the objectives of mobilising resources on behalf of the government, facilitating trade and promoting productive activities in the country.
“We need industry and people, and in whatever you do, remember that you are there to serve Zimbabwe, our industry and people,” Chinamasa said.
The minister said the new board must avoid corruption and practice good governance under the corporate governance framework on State-owned enterprises, the Revenue authority act chapter (23:11).
He said that he was working a new mining fiscal tax regime and that the principles of the legislation were approved by Cabinet last Tuesday.
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