Tax advocacy group, ZTP, calls for increased awareness on tax amnesty programme

Zambia Tax Platform (ZTP)says the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) should increase awareness of the tax amnesty programme through targeted marketing campaigns to educate taxpayers on its benefits.

ZRA has been implementing a tax amnesty programme since October 31, 2022, which ended on March 31, 2023 and extended to June 30,2023, by Minister of Finance and National Planning, Situmbeko Musokotwane.

This was introduced to provide relief to individuals, businesses, and other entities following the adverse effects of Covid-19 pandemic.

ZTP National Coordinator, Ibrahim Kamara, said in a statement on Saturday that the application process should be evaluated to ascertain potential areas of improvement.

“For example, the application process for tax amnesty for customs liability can be improved by providing more clarity and transparency on the requirements, criteria and for processing tax amnesty applications, as well as ensuring that the process is accessible and equitable for all taxpayers,” Kamara said.

He said the application process in general must also outline any appeals or dispute resolution mechanisms for taxpayers who may disagree with the ZRA’s decision on their tax amnesty application.

Kamara said the process can also be simplified for small taxpayers.

He said additionally, to encourage participation, the revenue authority could also consider increasing penalties for non-compliant taxpayers after the deadline for the Tax Amnesty programme has passed.

Kamara said doing so can provide an incentive for taxpayers to take advantage of the initiative and avoid higher penalties.

“Beyond the tax amnesty programme, the revenue authority must boost its support provision to taxpayers who are struggling to meet their tax obligations, such as providing advice on how to comply with tax regulations or providing payment plans for taxpayers who are struggling to pay their taxes,” he said.

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