Full tax measures drill for Journalists, Editors

The Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has over the past week actively engaged  Journalists and Editors practicing in various media houses across the country to ensure a comprehensive understanding and effective communication of tax measures for the Fiscal Year 2024/ 2025.

These engagements, which   took place in Mzuzu, Blantyre, Lilongwe and Salima, aimed to provide in-depth training on range of topics, including  New Tax Measures in Domestic Taxes, Customs & Excise, the MRA Call Centre, Reforms Programme to the Excise Tax Stamp known as  Kalondola.

Media practitioners in attendance included those from Malawi Broadcasting Station, Nation Publications Limited, Times Group, Zodiak Broadcasting Station, Radio Maria and several  community radio stations.  The training sessions emphasized the critical role that the media plays in tax collection by raising awareness, disseminating crucial information, and fostering a culture of tax compliance.

During the roll  out of the trainings in Blantyre  in the last week of July, MRA Commissioner General, John Biziwick,  highlighted the media’s   pivotal role in supporting tax collection more especially through swift , disseminating of information about taxes and MRA’s operations across the country.

He said the media in the counry have been undertaking patriotic roles that continue to support revenue collection through swift dissemination of information about tax and MRA’s operations countrywide.

“I would like to express my sincere and profound gratitude to the media for the professional cooperation that you continue to demonstrate when handling matters of public interest here in Malawi. I urge you to share with the general public issues about taxation and correct the misinformation people are getting out there,” Biziwick remarked.

During the last session of the trainings in Salima, The Nation Editor Aubrey Mchulu encouraged MRA  to sustain its efforts in raising  awareness of the various initiatives that are being implemented to enhance voluntary tax compliance.

MRA has surpassed the July 2024 revenue target with a collection of K329.9 billion, up by K15.81 billion from the targeted K314.08 billion. This represents a year-on-year growth of 62 percent from around K203.85 billion collected during the same month in 2023.

 

The Revenue performance for the first quarter   of the new 2024/2025 financial year also started on a promising note with a  collection totalling K656.48 billion as of 30^th June 2024 against a quarterly target of K748.11 billion. This represented a growth of 41% when compared to the collection for the first quarter of 2023/24 financial year.

 

 

The tax collection target for the 2024/25 financial year ending 31^st March 2025, is pegged at K3.26 trillionRevenues collected by MRA enable Malawi Government to implement various social services such as the buying of medicines in hospitals, buying of learning and teaching materials in public schools, paying of salaries to civil servants among others.  These taxes are also used for development projects such as construction of roads, bridges, clinics, school blocks and markets.

 

BY VICTOR MASANJE