THE Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) has commended Catholic Church institutions as significant contributors to tax collection.

Yusuf Mwenda, the commissioner general, paid this homage when visiting Dar es Salaam Archbishop Yuda Thaddeus Ruwa'ichi, a courtesy call as December is a month dedicated to thanking taxpayers.

He praised the role of the church in revenue collection, citing education and health sector institutions, even as they at times benefit from tax exemptions as specified under extant regulations.

He described the archbishop as a strong advocate for tax compliance, acknowledging the good working relations between TRA and church institutions.

The revenue czar expressed optimism on church support in the coming year to help TRA further promote tax compliance, beefing up his remarks by pointing at the huge public needs for appropriate revenue collection.

Observers noted that this visit comes 15 years after differences surfaced between then Finance minister Mustafa Mkulo and some professional organisations linked with the church mid 2008 during the budget session of the legislature.

The minister had raised caution in remarks during parliamentary debate, objecting to tax evasion by importing luxury vehicles using parishes, to benefit from tax exemption.

“Paying taxes for the country's benefit is a matter of faith, as the taxes collected are directed towards national development activities, including education, healthcare and infrastructure,” the CEO declared, underlining that TRA holds religious institutions in high regard, “as behind you are many people.”

TRA thus expects to work with the church to “ensure taxes are collected fairly and no one is exploited. Our goal is to maintain a level playing field in the market," he explained.

TRA is committed to helping taxpayers meet their obligations without compulsion, he said, while the archbishop vowed to enhance collaboration with the tax authorities to encourage tax compliance.

He was affirmative on the critical role taxes play in the country’s development, acknowledging that paying and collecting taxes is crucial for national development and constitutes a civic duty.

He also expressed satisfaction with the current tax collection system and the strong relationship between the TRA and the public.

He said that TRA was doing excellent work and church leaders would seek to encourage people to recognise, value their responsibility to pay taxes for collective needs.

He agreed with the TRA CEO that there should be no discrimination in tax collection, where all citizens are treated equally, seeing it as viable focus in moving forward.