ZRA Chief satisfied with 2019 performance

…. Chanda says despite many challenges, the authority managed to beat the tax threshold

(Lusaka – 4-01-20) The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) has paid a glaring tribute to all revenue officers and the staff in general for ensuring that the authority record great success in the manner it did in 2019.
Commissioner General Kingsley Chanda told the revenue officers in a staff memo signed by him on January 3rd 2020 that despite hardships recorded in, the authority staff worked extra hard to record a great success.
The source familliar with ZRA operations said by November 2019, the authority had recorded a reduce surplus by half save that the combined effort from workers pushed the net revenue to K52  968.7 million against the annual target of K51, 844.2 million.
The commissioner general is pleased that ZRA officers individually exerted their efforts to rise the target threshold in a role for three consecutive years.
The source said, the commissioner general is also happy that despite the many challenges, the authority recorded great other successes including carrying out a number of corporate social responsibilities towards uplifting the less provileges in societies.
According to the spurce the commissioner also extended the gratitude to the ministry of finance for its timely financing the authority operations to enable it do its work on time.
During the year under review l, the source said, the authority not only implemented it’s new corporate strategic plan for the period of 2019 to 2021 developed with input from internal and externally stakeholders but also unveiled the 2019 new look ZRA website designed to integrate an interactive chatbot.
The interventions were carried to improve the physical infrastructure and surveillance of operations through the installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) and access to control in selected stations.”
The sources explained that the Revenue House in Lusaka was renovated and the model will be replicated in stations across the country.
The commissioner general is particularly happy that through the use of drones technology for enforcement activities and operations which was launched recently, the authority has become a trailblazer on the African continent.
Other achievements recorded in the past year include but not limited to the Nakonde – Tunduma one border post jointly commissioned by president Edgar Lungu and Joseph Magufuli, president of Tanzania,the roll out of the custom self assessment system aimed at enhancing clearing times at the border.
In order to address the persisting problems with the online tax system, the source said the authority  in 2019 had embarked on an ambitious program to co-develop taxonline II in partnership with the Copperbelt university.
This system was not only robust and interactive but its futuristic is expected to to be fully operational in 2020.
On the other hand, the source said the decision by the government to revoke the general sales tax has given the authority an opportunity to look for other ways of improving and reforming the value added tax (VAT).
Soon the source said, the authority will announce structural changes that will be made to create and establish the indirect taxes division and will also be responsible reviving VAT and exercise directorate, including the upgrading of some provincial domestic taxes stations.
He said the creation of indirect taxes division will create opportunities for further improvements in tie new year.
He said the future taxation is in the consumption based taxes including VAT and exercise duty among other things.
In other operational matters, spurce said the authority decided to rename the transfer pricing unit to international taxation unit to give credence tobtur unit’s broaden scope in addressing the numerous taxation aspects involved in the international transaction.
Earlier in the year, the source said, the authority engaged a professional service firm to undertake the employee satisfaction survey in which many staff took part and promised to share the findings on due course.
Besides, the source observed, the authority successfully hosted a number of integrity workshops with the courtesy of African Taz Administration Forum which attracted delegates from across the continent.