Kilindi District Commissioner, Hashim Mgandilwa, has called for intensified efforts to meet the district's domestic revenue collection targets in the current fiscal year.

Speaking at the second-quarter meeting of the Kilindi District Council on Wednesday, Mgandilwa highlighted that the district surpassed its revenue goal in the 2023/24 fiscal year.

 The 2.2bn/- target was exceeded by nearly 900mn/-, with a total of 3.13bn/- collected reflecting a 139 percent of the goal.

 “While we exceeded our target last year, we must continue to strengthen our efforts to identify all possible revenue sources,” Mgandilwa said. “As of the second quarter of 2024/25, we’ve collected 46.4 percent, or 1.36bn/-, of our target.”

 The Chairman of the Kilindi District Council, Idrissa Mgaza, also emphasized the critical importance of vigilant revenue collection, urging the district's executive director, John Mgalula, to ensure all funds are accounted for.

 “We must stay vigilant in revenue collection to maximize our efforts. Director Mgalula, make sure your team is fully equipped to track and collect every source of income in this district,” said Mgaza.

 Meanwhile, Kilindi District CCM Chairman Mohamed Kumbi urged councilors to assist local officers in village and ward-level revenue collection, stressing that residents should not be discouraged from paying taxes due to unfounded fears of hardship.

 “We need to help village and ward officers collect these funds. Let’s put an end to the belief that paying taxes will hurt the people,” Kumbi added.

 Executive Director Mgalula expressed confidence that the district would reach 100 percent of its revenue target by June 30, 2025.

 He revealed that the district had invested in 100 new electronic point-of-sale (POS) machines, bringing the total to 146, alongside a new pickup truck to facilitate revenue collection at markets and other local events.

 “We are confident that by June 30, we will meet our target of 2.92bn/- for the 2024/25 fiscal year,” Mgalula said. “Although we may not surpass last year’s 139 percent collection rate, we are on track to meet our 100 percent target.”