eBusiness Weekly
Victor Maphosa
BH24 Correspondent
MARONDERA – The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) yesterday opened their offices in Marondera to smoothen their operations in Mashonaland East Province, an official has said.
ZIMRA used to run a satellite station where officers would come for a few days from Harare especially at the end of every month for revenue collection.
Speaking at the official opening ceremony held in Marondera yesterday, ZIMRA Commissioner General Ms Faith Mazani said the opening of the Marondera office is a significant development which is convenient to the province.
“The opening of the Marondera office is a significant development for us, which we think will firmly put Mashonaland East as a major player in the development of the local economy through payment of tax,” she said.
“We used to run a satellite station where our officers would come here for a few days especially at the end of every month.
“We saw that this was causing a lot of inconveniences to clients, considering that as an Authority we envisage a situation where clients are able to access our service with minimum costs,” said Ms Mazani.
She said the setting up of permanent offices in Marondera will enable clients who require domestic services only as if now but more will be done to serve all clientele needs.
“The office will serve clients who require Domestic Tax Services only but plans are underway to ensure that customs clients can also get services at the station,” she said.
“The main tax heads this office shall deal with are income tax, Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Value Added Tax (VAT) , Presumptive tax and Withholding tax,” she said.
She called out to tax payers to religiously honor their tax affairs and approach ZIMRA offices and arrange a payment plan to those who have not been compliant.
“As ZIMRA,we encourage tax payers to review their tax affairs and make voluntary disclosures in those circumstances where there is any income omitted from returns submitted or where there are any tax obligations that tax payers may not have complied with,” she said.
“Our intention as ZIMRA is to move towards sustainable taxation, where business is able to pay their tax dues but also remain operational.
“As such I call upon all those who are in arrears or those clients who are failing to honour their obligations to come forward and sit with us so that we agree on payment plans which are beneficial to both the state and business,” she said.
She urged ZIMRA clients and officers to shun corruption and all activities which slows economic development.
“As has always been our loudest call over the years let us work together to shun corruption and all other economic malfeasances,” she said.
In his remarks during the ceremony, Minister of State for Mashonaland East Province Honorable David Musabayana urged ZIMRA to be professional in discharging its duties.
“I believe that professionalism, integrity, transparency and fairness are major determinants of success in whatever we do whether as business entities or individuals,” he said.
“This entails making correct declarations and desisting from understating our profits when coating tax and duty on importations,” he said.
“Vices like corruption, smuggling, tax evasion and indifferent attitude towards work should be dealt with using a zero tolerance approach,” Musabayana said.
He said corrupting tax officers in order to beat the system should not be tolerated if the relationship between the tax payer and the tax administrator is to remain healthy.
