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EMBRACING information communication technologies can enhance national revenue collection, as the degree of efficiency of a country’s tax administration can make or break the economy, a senior official with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority has said. ZIMRA acting commissioner general Happias Kuzvinzwa, who is also chairman of African Tax Administration Council, noted that ICTs can play a critical role in enhancing efficiency of tax administrations and boost revenue collections in developing countries.Acting commissioner Kuzvinzwa said this while addressing the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) technical meeting for heads of ICT for African revenue authorities held in Harare, yesterday. The technical meeting was attended by over 40 participants drawn from ATAF member states across the African continent.
“The efficiency of tax administrations makes or breaks economies of our nations . . . It is necessary for our administrations to embrace ICT as an enabler in the collection of tax revenue,” he said.
The acting commissioner general called upon ICT experts to design simplified and effective automated solutions for the benefit of taxpayers, in line with international best practice.
ATAF, which is a continental body for African tax administrations, was formed in 2009 with a vision of promoting effective and efficient tax administration in order to improve the living standards of the people of Africa. Zimbabwe currently chairs the continental body which comprises 38 member countries.
ATF strives to build capable African tax administrations that develop, share and implement best practice. Lately, the body has been tackling issues of tax evasion, base erosion, profit shifting and ways of enhancing domestic resource mobilisation in Africa.
The ZIMRA boss underscored the fact that automation and integrated tax administration systems, such as e-filing and e-payment, are essential in improving convenience to taxpayers, lowering cost of compliance and boosting national revenue collections.
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