The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) will toughen its stance on taxpayers that failed to own up under the tax amnesty, commissioner-general Gershem Pasi has said.
BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA
A tax amnesty is a limited-time opportunity for a specified group of taxpayers to pay a defined amount, in exchange for forgiveness of a tax liability (including interest and penalties) relating to a previous tax period or periods and without fear of criminal prosecution. The amnesty ended in September. It was extended twice to give taxpayers adequate time to comply with fiscal legislation.
The tax amnesty was on any non-compliance which occurred during the period beginning February 1 2009 to September 30 2014.
Pasi told stakeholders at the Taxpayer Appreciation Day on Friday that the amnesty was a golden opportunity for Zimra clients to regularise their tax affairs.
“The expiry of the amnesty means that those who chose not to come forward and benefit from the tax amnesty, which was extended twice, may be forced to comply with fiscal legislation through other means,” Pasi said.
Pasi said it is not the desire of every revenue administration to levy penalties and interest on late or non-remittance of taxes and duties.
“At a grand scale, timeous and accurate payment of taxes enables our respective governments to allocate funds to social needs and capital developments within their countries,” Pasi said.
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Zimra is owed over $1 billion by companies in unpaid taxes. It is struggling to collect taxes from various customers and has been raiding bank accounts to force firms to pay up.
Last week, the National Assembly approved a proposal by Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa to name and shame tax evaders.
Revenue collected by Zimra is the sole source of financing for government operations in the absence of budgetary support from co-operating partners. Revenue flows have been reduced due to the harsh economic environment.
In the six months ended June 30, Zimra missed its target of revenue collection by 6% after collecting $1,66 billion.
The target was $1,76 billion.
Net collections declined by 3% from the same period last year when $1,72 billion was collected.
