MRA touts tax reforms for boosting revenue
Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) commissioner general John Biziwick has commended the tax reforms for boosting its revenue collection in the first half of this fiscal year.
Speaking on Thursday in Blantyre during the commemoration of World Customs Day, he said the reforms have helped the public revenue collector to beat its targets for the past nine months, having collected K1.14 trillion against a target of K1.138 trillion.
He said: “We have improved how we engage taxpayers to ensure that they understand their obligations.
we engage taxpayers
“In addition, we have also benefited from a good performance in some sectors of the economy, the sectors that are being well-managed to push us through.”
Speaking at the same event, MRA intelligence officer Wongani Mtambo said the institution developed systems that improved how it communicated with its stakeholders across the value chain of tax collections.
The systems included interface systems with the Malawi Bureau of Standards, and the Reserve Bank of Malawi. There are also systems to facilitate e-payments and document validation to expedite customs clearing.
“We have also taken steps to develop a culture of tax compliance among the younger generations,” said Mtambo.
MRA board chairperson Vizenge Kumwenda commended the tax collector for promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing with its internal and external stakeholders to help mitigate tax non-compliance.
He said: “MRA recently launched the taxpayers’ charter. We have been informing taxpayers of the services they can expect from MRA.”
In the current fiscal year, total revenues and grants are estimated at K1.956 trillion, representing 17.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) while domestic revenues are estimated at K1.636 trillion.
Out of the total domestic revenue, MRA is expected to collect K1.528 trillion while other revenues are estimated at K107.8 billion.
The World Customs Day is celebrated on January 26 every year, and this year’s theme was ‘Nurturing the next generation: Promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing and professional pride in customs’.
