THE Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) says it has since started forcing its workers to declare their assets in an effort to curb spiralling corruption.
BY SILAS NKALA
Zimra, however, urged members of the public to stop corrupting its officials through bribes.
The remarks were made by Zimra acting Commissioner-General Happias Kuzvinzwa during a media workshop in Bulawayo yesterday.
“We at Zimra are fighting corruption from within our officers to the point where we have taken it upon ourselves to demand our employees to declare their assets,” he said.
Kuzvinzwa said they look at the house that one has, the car that one drives, and many other properties which he or she might be having against the income he/she gets and assess how possible the person would have managed to acquire those assets.
“If you fail to disclose your source of that property, then a disciplinary procedure is taken and, as we speak, we have dealt with some of our officers and those who were proven to be corrupt have been dismissed,” he said.
He said the organisation had since improvised hotlines for those who want to report corruption among its officials.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Kuzvinzwa also discouraged people from evading tax, smuggling, money-laundering, transfer pricing and all forms of illicit deals.
“As we take taxation to the people, let us also discourage tax evasion in all its forms, smuggling, corruption, money-laundering, transfer pricing and all forms of illicit behaviour as all this negates the gains of our economic development,” Kuzvinzwa said.
“The media must expose and fight smuggling and stop corruption. I know that as media professionals you know people who are involved in smuggling in Plumtree and other entry points. Please expose them.”
He added: “As you are aware, Zimra has zero-tolerance to corruption and a number of strategies have been put in place, key among them is the toll-free hotline introduced in May 2011.
“The hotline is managed by an independent service provider and is used for reporting corruption cases relating to Zimra. The hotline has helped expose corrupt activities, which the authority has acted on and continues to work on.
“In addition to the hotline, other strategies for fighting corruption that we have implemented include asset declarations and lifestyle audits for staff members, disciplinary action in accordance with the Zimra code of conduct, and closed circuit television systems installed at some of the border posts.”
Kuzvinzwa said Zimra has a whistle-blower facility that is meant to encourage members of the public to report cases of tax evasion and underhand dealings.
“Under the facility, any individual who provides specific information which results in the recovery of revenue is entitled to 10% of the recovered amount,” he said.
Several Zimra officials, including the former Commissioner-General Geshom Pasi, have been suspended on allegations of corruption.
