The ManicaPost
Muchadura Dube
SOME business entities have taken Zimbabwe Revenue Authority to court, an act which is legal in terms of the country’s supreme law.
While some of the issues are still sub judice, it is in the interest of the public to scrutinize these events as they unfold. It seems there are elements among us in the society who view Zimra’s recent clampdown on errand businesses as either punitive or diabolical, yet the authority is simply executing its statutory obligation as prescribed by the Revenue Authority Act (Chapter 23:11), enacted by the Parliament in 2002.
Zimra has the unenviable responsibility to collect revenue on behalf of the Government of Zimbabwe. It is only prudent for the entire nation to support it as it undertakes this noble task.
Some among us might be ignorant of the critical responsibility which Zimra has to undertake to ensure the nation is stable financially.
It should be understood that the nation has local, regional and indeed international financial obligations. The nation satisfies those financial obligations through financial resources which are derived from taxes.
In the case of Zimbabwe, which has been under the ruinous sanctions regime which was unleashed by the British and their American allies at the turn of the millennium, taxes have to be collected to refurbish infrastructure which yearns for renewal. It is also common cause that the civil service workforce expects to be remunerated monthly. It is from these taxes that Government derives its revenue.
Recently a colleague visited a fellow African country where upon purchasing a goat, tax requirements were paid upon completion of the transaction. He intimated that hardly any business transactions are taken in that part of Africa without the taxation requirements being met.
This is an exhibition of responsible citizenship. Even biblically, the Holy Scriptures exhort citizens to be faithful to their tax obligations as it is written “render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar”.
A deep introspection on the survival of nations will reveal that the bulk of the financial resources are tax based.
It is therefore then incumbent upon the same Government to judiciously distribute equitably the financial resources for the benefit of the citizens.
In developed nations, failure to remit taxes attracts harsh sentences to the errand individuals or business entities. One would recall the extensive media coverage of suspected tax fraud cases involving the Argentine football superstar, Lionel Messi, which almost dented his image.
Messi escaped hefty fines and possible jail time after a protracted legal battle. This is how serious countries such as Spain take cases of suspected and eventual tax evasions. It therefore boggles the mind when companies who knew very well their tax obligations begin to view the recent action by Zimra to collect what is legally due to it as absurd.
The pertinent question to ask is why were the companies that are implicated in the tax saga neglecting their tax obligations? Certainly, a perusal of their arguments regarding the astronomical financial figures which they owe to Zimra unearths a certain level of inclination to lawlessness which should not be tolerated in a democracy like ours.
Zimbabwe as a nation should broaden its tax base to ensure that it meets the growing needs of its diverse populace. The thriving informal sector which is the new economy in modern-day Zimbabwe should be compelled to remit its taxes to Zimra.
It is a fact as espoused by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Patrick Chinamasa, that the old economy is dead, it has since been replaced by a new, thriving economy whose pillars are a rejuvenated agricultural sector which has been revolutionised by the land reform programme.
These winds of change have also resulted in a thriving informal sector where millions of Zimbabweans derive their livelihoods from. It is only correct for those in the informal sector to pay Zimra what is due to it. With the billions of dollars which are circulating in the informal sector, the Government’s purse can only be enriched for the benefit of the citizens. It is only logical that Zimra devises a proper mechanism to incorporate this largely untapped sector whose vast potential in revenue generation ushers a ray of hope to the nation.
It should be stressed that the taxation matter is not a political issue as others would want to interpret. It is a corporate responsibility for all businesses and individuals. It is only in the interest of the nation for all those with tax arrears to co-operate with Commissioner-General Gershem Pasi and his team.
The society at large should aid in the collection of revenue by reporting any demeanour by the business community and even Zimra staff whose ulterior motives are detrimental to the national cause.
There are some unscrupulous elements within the Zimra community who aid individuals and business entities to evade taxes who need to face the full wrath of the law. This is only possible if the society can work in unison to rid itself of such societal misfits.
Zimra should undertake its constitutional obligations without any fear or favour. At this juncture of this great nation’s history under the able leadership of President Mugabe, the nation can only scale dizzy economic heights by religiously adhering to the rule of law as enshrined in the supreme law of the country.
Muchadura Dube is a Nyanga-based farmer and political analyst.
