Allan Kiula

Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) has informed the public in general, but specifically the commercial users of Electronic Fiscal Devices (EFD) that only authorised under-listed EFD technicians are to configure, activate, repair and service the machines.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam recemtly, TRA’s Director of Tax payers’ Service and Education, Allan Kiula, said, to ease and secure tax collection, only the select and approved few are permitted to perform any form of service whatsoever. Furthermore, all technicians are to present legal forms of identifications at the time of installation or servicing of an EFD.

The measure takes effect as of August 1st next month, after which it will be an offence punishable by law were an unproved technician to engage in installing, servicing or handling of an EFD in any manner, and for that matter, if an approved technician fails or refuses to identify themselves upon request, then they too will be penalised

EFD users are cautioned not to accept or engage the services of any technician other than the under-listed ones and even then, only those who produce the requisite identifications and this, explained the director, is for their own safety, to ensure top quality of service.

“We are begging them not to work with unauthorised technicians…this is very serious and after the 1st of next month, we will take strict legal measures…” he warned.

Kiula named the few approved EFD technicians as Compulynix (T) Ltd, Cheknoctrats, Total Fiscal Solution Ltd, Advatech Office Supplies Ltd, Business Machine Tanzania Limited and Pergamon Tanzania Limited.

At the end of this month TRA is expected to present reports on the success rate of EFD technology in tax collection. The authority plans to expedite the tax return filing system by adopting electronic filing and payment by working in conjunction with the banking systems and in the process create an elaborate tax refund system, this coupled with better management and TRA hopes to secure timely tax assessments and speedy completion of audit cases.

The authority has previously been challenged with failing to provide accessible tax information, slow handling of complaints and enquiries, lack of an internal appeal mechanism and a broken customer service system that had multiple courtesy issues.