Zimra extends tax amnesty again

Published: 07 June 2015

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) has extended its tax amnesty again to end of this year from the initial March 31, 2015 deadline.

This comes on the back of a poor response by business to the earlier grace period granted by the tax collector.

Zimra yesterday said the amnesty - for penalties, interest and prosecution for the non-payment and irregularities of all taxes - was in respect to any non-compliance which occurred during the period beginning February 1, 2009 to September 30, 2014.

Under the provisions issued through the commissioner general Gershem Pasi's public notice 4 of 2015, clients have until end of next month to apply for the tax amnesty.

"Applications for the tax amnesty should be submitted well in time to enable the processing by the commissioner-general and time for the applicant to pay the full amount no later than 31 December 2015," said Zimra.

"In addition to the extension of the payment period, clients will also be eligible for a five percent early discount on early payments of any amounts due," it said, adding that Pasi will be empowered to credit the concerned client's future tax liabilities in place of a refund of the discounted amount.

This comes as Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa during the course of last year declared the tax authority was going to continue issuing garnishee orders to companies that evade tax.

He told Parliament in the last quarter of 2014 that "Zimra's mandate is tax collection and the revenue collector will do all it can to fulfil this mandate".

Zimbabwe is hard pressed after failing to secure budgetary support, and is footing its wage bill and recurrent expenditure from tax collections. "What we should say is not to discourage Zimra from collecting taxes, but to encourage them and also to give advice that when doing so, while being firm, they should be friendly," said Chinamasa.

- dailynews

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