By Tiyanjane Nandie Mambucha
Lilongwe, MANA: In an effort to stall taxpayers trust tax collection, Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has launch of the taxpayer’s charter.
Launching the charter during a cocktail at Bingu International Conference Center (BICC) on Wednesday evening , the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) Board Chairperson, Vizenge Kumwenda said the charter is one of the many steps MRA is taking to professionalise revenue collection.
“There are a lot of reforms taking place in MRA, the objectives behind those reforms is to make MRA a professional revenue authority. We got values like service excellence, transparency and integrity.
All that requires our people to be disciplined, honest and exemplary so that taxpayers should have confidence in the tax system for compliance in a voluntary manner,” said Kumwenda.
MRA Commissioner General, John Biziwick, said the charter is a performance standard which will drive MRA officers to work efficiently in a manner stipulated in the charter.
“It will enhance service delivery because we are intending to define MRA standards that shall be provided. In the past this information was not available to taxpayers which resulted to issues of abuse of office by some of the MRA officers.
Now the tax payers will know their rights and obligations making them able to demand the services,” said Biziwick.
Representing the business community, the Deputy President of the Malawi Confederation of Chamber of commerce and Industry (MCCI), Boyd Luwe said the charter will lessen the existing friction between taxpayers and tax administration officials.
“What this charter has done is to bring clarity in terms of the way MRA will be interacting with tax payers. As you know the private sector is a biggest constituency in terms of tax paying. Looking at the charter we hope it will bring more trust, transparency and credibility,” commented Luwe.
MRA Head of Corporate Affairs Steven Kapoloma showed participants the customs and excise service standards that MRA offers that included the minimum requirements, completion time and the duty or costs.
MRA promised to translate the taxpayer’s charter in several local languages and make it available to all Malawians.
