The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) will not impose penalties, suspend Tax Clearance Certificates (TCCs) or pursue debt recovery arising from unreconciled historical tax data during the ongoing reconciliation period.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, ZRA Commissioner-General, Dingani Banda, said the measure would give taxpayers time to verify their records following the migration of historical tax transactions to the TaxOnline platform.
Banda gave the assurance during a meeting with representatives of major business associations to address concerns over the data migration exercise.
He said cooperation between ZRA and taxpayers was essential to the successful implementation of the system and the promotion of voluntary compliance.
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“This data migration will empower taxpayers to access information that supports the reconciliation of their tax accounts and the voluntary disclosure of any omissions,” Banda said.
He said the migration was intended to improve transparency and tax administration by allowing taxpayers to access historical and current tax records through a single platform.
Banda said ZRA had established a dedicated technical working group to improve communication and resolve challenges arising from the migration and reconciliation process.
The meeting followed concerns raised by business associations over the administrative inconveniences, the accuracy of migrated records and the lack of consultation before the exercise.
Zambia Association of Manufacturers president Mohammed Umar, who co-chaired the meeting, welcomed ZRA’s engagement with the business community and the explanations provided on TCC suspensions and the integrity of migrated data.
ZRA has encouraged taxpayers whose TCCs were suspended to reapply for reinstatement, adding that migrated records would be reconciled with taxpayers before being posted to their accounts.
Earlier this month, the authority completed the transfer of historical tax transactions from decommissioned legacy systems to TaxOnline.
The migrated records include tax returns, payments, offsets, assessments, penalties, fines, interest and refunds.
ZRA has urged taxpayers to review their records, reconcile their accounts and report any discrepancies through established channels.
The authority has also encouraged eligible taxpayers to use the ongoing Extended Voluntary Disclosure Scheme (EVDS), which allows applicants to seek waivers of penalties and interest.
Banda said the reforms were expected to promote transparency, predictability, fairness and equity in tax administration while supporting the Government’s Grow Zambia Agenda.
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