By Mwansa Kaumba
Finance minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane has called for greater citizen awareness in the collection of receipts.
Musomotwane said so when he called for enhanced revenue collection through imoruved efficiency, compliance and enforcement.
”The Minister also called for stronger accountability and greater citizen awareness in collection of receipts, stressing that revenue due to the State should be collected systematically and efficiently rather than be treated as though payment were voluntary,” read the statement from the Ministry of Finance and National Planning in part.
Musokotwane said that Zambia should maximize existing revenue streams, from both tax and non-tax channels.
”Dr. MUSOKOTWANE made the call this afternoon during a strategic visioning and brainstorming session with management and staff at the Ministry of Finance and National Planning,” read the statement in part. Prioritizing the scaling-up of efficiency in domestic revenue mobilization, the Minister observed that strengthened revenue performance would require sustained institutional effort, and closer attention to areas where Government revenue may be leaking through weak compliance, smuggling, and other forms of tax avoidance and evasion.”
He urged his team to work hard to improve revenue collection, while emphasising the need to make existing revenue collection streams more efficient to help improve confidence and stakeholders support for improved compliance, elimination of smuggling, and voluntary cooperation.
”The Minister also called for stronger accountability and greater citizen awareness in collection of receipts, stressing that revenue due to the State should be collected systematically and efficiently ‘rather than be treated as though payment were voluntary’,” read the statement in part. “He urged public institutions to fully embrace their responsibility to support effective tax collection and compliance. Dr. SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE also underscored the need to strengthen enforcement through a greater operational presence on the ground to curb smuggling and other revenue leakages, while proportionately expanding electronic tax administration. He emphasized that stronger domestic revenue mobilization was critical to Zambia taking greater ownership of its development agenda and improving the lives of its people.”
