Government clears 190bn/- verified debts in three months

Deputy Minister for Finance and Planning, Dr Ashatu Kijaji made the revelation during a meeting with the business community in Kagera, during her working visit which is intended to inspect operations of Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and the Government Procurement Services Agency (GSPA).

According to Dr Kijaji, 67.2bn/- was paid to suppliers, 24.2bn/- to contractors while arrears to public servants stood at 37bn/-. Other service providers were paid 62bn/-. The Deputy Minister said that the government has allocated over 1trl/- during the 2017/2018 financial year to settle debts, stressing that the debts will be settled only after being verified to be genuine.

Dr Kijaji told the business community that the government recognises their contribution to the economy through payment of various taxes which are used to improve infrastructure and social services in the country.

“As such, I urge the businesspersons to use electronic fiscal devices (EFDs) in all business transactions and issue receipts to customers; buyers on the other hand should demand receipts indicating the exact amount of money for goods and services they have purchased,” she urged.

Speaking earlier, the Chairperson of the business community in Kagera Region, Mr Seif Mkude, hailed the Fifth Phase Government for being firm on tax collection to boost the economy and social services.

“The business community is pleased as well on how the government put to proper use the taxes which are collected to implement strategic development projects; we pledge to continue paying the requisite tariffs,” Mr Mkude stated.

He urged fellow businesspersons to voluntary pay the duties to support efforts by President John Magufuli on improving the economy, urging the government on the other hand to address challenges which they had aired before the Deputy Minister.

Speaking on behalf of Kagera Regional Commissioner, the Bukoba District Commissioner, Mr Deodatus Kinawiro, urged the businesspersons to expand their businesses to benefit from opportunities in neighbouring countries namely Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).