MEMBERS of Kariakoo Business Community have appointed house-to-house “ambassadors” to oversee the process of formalising operations and ensuring that every trader is registered and voluntarily pays taxes to promote fairness in taxation.

Speaking during the ceremony to unveil the ambassadors in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Commissioner General of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) Yusuph Mwenda hailed the new move, saying the ambassadors will play a crucial role in ensuring equitable tax compliance.

Mwenda emphasised that TRA’s primary responsibility is to ensure prosperity of businesses, supporting their growth while ensuring that no business faces closure.

He highlighted Kariakoo as the key business hub, with a significant impact on both Tanzania and neighbouring countries.

“Kariakoo is a major contributor to tax revenue, with a diverse range of small, medium and big taxpayers. Therefore, TRA must remain close to them and assist in resolving the challenges they face,” he said.

He further noted that policy challenges faced by taxpayers have already been addressed by a commission set up by President Samia Suluhu Hassan and were being actively worked on. The issues which require system changes are being resolved by TRA.  

“The doors of TRA are always open for taxpayers, and I am ready to listen to them in order to improve their businesses environment,” he said.

He also recalled that the government has entrusted him with the responsibilities of promoting businesses growth and collecting taxes voluntarily, without the use of force.

“I am pleased to see that traders, including hawkers popularly known as machinga are now willing to pay taxes,” he said.

Mwenda called on the public to expose those evading taxes and foreign traders operating in businesses reserved for locals, as their activities undermine market competition.

Regarding relocation of the vendors to Jangwani   as promised by President Samia, Mwenda assured that efforts are underway to create   conducive environment for their relocation.

On the issue of the delayed cargo for Kariakoo traders stuck at the Port of Dar es Salaam, Mwenda instructed the deputy commissioner for customs to address the matter urgently and ensure that the goods are cleared to allow traders to resume their businesses operations.

Ilala District Commissioner Edward Mpogolo said they are currently compiling a database of all Kariakoo traders and establishing a joint registration system with TRA to simplify the process for traders and reduce the need for them to visit offices during business hours.

Mpogolo noted that the friendly visit of Mwenda to Kariakoo demonstrated   strong relationship and collaboration between TRA and the business community, which is expected to lead into increased tax revenue collection.

Severin Mushi, Chairman of Kariakoo Business Community, explained that they have appointed ambassadors for each building to assist with trader registration and ensure that all businesses in Kariakoo have tax payer identification numbers (TINs) and pay taxes, creating fairness in tax contributions.

Mushi also noted that whenever challenges arise, they collaborate with TRA to resolve them and improve the business environment within the market.