WHEN YOU PAY, IT MUST SHOW – PWYP

PUBLISH What You Pay (PWYP) Zambia National Coordinator, Nsama Chikwanka says the Key driver to tax compliance is that when taxpayers see value for their money.

Speaking to The Scoop, Mr. Chikwanka explained that some taxpayers failed to comply with tax policies because they did not see value in paying tax.

He said that many people in Zambia could not relate how tax worked for them, hence failure to understand adding that many people did not feel personally compelled to pay TAX, a situation that needed to be corrected.

He called for more initiatives on tax education, as most citizens did not feel the conviction to pay, adding that taxpayers will start to declare their taxes once they see how positively it’s working for them.

He cited the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIMA), as a good example for enhanced appetite for tax compliance as it was a direct tax through which taxpayers were benefiting through their health.

He stated that it was important to invest in tax education among the general public and also focus on initiatives that would help taxpayers see value in compliance.

Meanwhile, the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) announced employing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help detect discrepancies in revenue collection and tax declarations by taxpayers, in order to improve efficiency in revenue collection.

PWYP Zambia is an advocacy platform for transparency and accountability in Zambia’s extractive industries for greater benefit of citizens of Zambia.