The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) began processing most of its transactions online at the start of this year, as the tax collector moves from the cumbersome manual data capturing and processing system.
In a notice, ZIMRA indicated that starting this year, it would no longer issue manual Tax Clearance Certificates (ITF 263s), as these would strictly be processed online.
“This means that clients can now apply for their tax clearance certificates online and in return receive them online,” ZIMRA said.
“This has been done to increase convenience to you our valued clients and also to reduce compliancy costs.”
ZIMRA has been test-running this new online system that handles a number of tax obligations electronically since June last year.
This system requires all businesses to register on the ZIMRA e-services portal for them to obtain e-services accounts. It would also be a requirement for all businesses that deal with ZIMRA to have active e-mail accounts.
In addition to tax clearance, businesses can now also apply for Business Partner (BP) registration online, carry out online lodgement of income tax returns, Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax returns, as well as Value Added Tax returns.
The new e-services platform is set to cut out a posse of middlemen most of whom connived with some rogue ZIMRA officials to make processing of ordinary tax documents a nightmare resulting in businesses engaging these middlemen at a huge cost.
Over the years, there has been an increase in cases where companies were issued with fake Tax Clearance Certificates.
In November last year, ZIMRA technical services manager, Alick Mutandiro, told the Financial Gazette that the tax collection authority, which is in the process of attaining ISO Certification, was putting in place a raft of measures to bring it closer to the public as well as shed the image of a dreaded organisations in the country. Financial Gazette
