Tax payment goes mobile

The Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) has introduced a mobile telephone facility that allows payers to declare and pay taxes using mobile phones.

The facility dubbed M-declaration was launched last week during the Taxpayer’s Day celebrations in Nyagatare District in the Eastern Province of Rwanda.

While launching facility, which will be operated online, the Minister of Finance, Amb. Claver Gatete urged taxpayers to embrace easy and less costly facilities in paying taxes as they will save time and money spent while declaring and paying taxes.

‘‘We commend RRA for introducing this facility but also urge them to continue introducing new facilities that will help taxpayers to easily pay taxes in a more conducive environment as this will increase compliance and domestic investment in the country,’’ Gatete Said

On the same day, other online facilities such as online non-fiscal payment, Electronic Billing Machines and RRA service charter were introduced.

According to RRA officials, the online facilities were introduced in order to transform business environment by reducing the time spent by taxpayers to declare and pay taxes as well as queuing while waiting to pay taxes at RRA offices and banks.

The introduction of these services is also expected to help further widen the tax base and reach some taxpayers who still slip through the tax net by introducing easy and cheap processes of paying taxes.

Speaking at this occasion, the RRA Commissioner General, Ben Bahizi Kagarama said that the institution he heads has put in place different initiatives to ease the process of paying taxes, especially through embracing technology.

“Our aim is to maximize opportunities and modernise taxpaying system so that it becomes friendly to taxpayers by making the process as easy as possible,” he said.

With the new M-declaration, payment is enabled via any of the mobile money platforms including MTN-Mobile money, Tigo Cash and Airtel Money.

Tax payment goes mobile