eBusiness Weekly
Enacy Mapakame
Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube, has appointed a new board for the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra).
The appointments are with effect from December 19, 2018. Minister Ncube said the appointments were made after consultations with President Mnangagwa.
Industrialist Calisto Jokonya, is the new chairman for the board and is deputised by Josephine Matambo. Other members appointed to the board include Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Permanent Secretary George Guvamatanga, Isaac Kwesu, Memory Nguwi and Morris Mpofu.
This comes after the old board was relieved of its duties early October.
The fired old board members were appointed on June 26, 2015. Their term had expired but were allegedly seeking an extension, which Government decided against granting to allow new brooms at the key institution to broaden revenue generation. The newly appointed board’s main task is to enhance efficiency of revenue collecting systems through upgrading information technology systems to ensure the taxpayer registration database is up to date.
According to Treasury, Zimra is expected to invest $13 million towards automation and modernisation of operations with the aim of reducing revenue leakages especially at the country’s ports of entry.
This should see the revenue authority put a gear up in tax collection as well as recover the over $4 billion in revenue leakages.
Government is considering granting Zimra absolute power to descend on tax dodgers as ways of boosting effective revenue collection.
By mid next year, the new board is also expected to have linked the Zimra systems with, among others, the National Registration Database, Company Registration Database, Deeds Office, Zimstat, National Social Security Authority, Investment Agency and Zimdef to ensure accuracy, reliability and traceability of taxpayers.
