MRA drills media on taxation matters

Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has said it is committed to ensure all tax knowledge and skills are shared with members of the press to advance capacity and ensure effective utilisation across the news gathering chain.

Speaking during the opening of a two-day media training in Blantyre on Wednesday, MRA’s Head of Corporate Affairs Steven Kapoloma said the tax collecting body recognises that the media have great power and play crucial role in facilitating positive economic growth.

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Kapoloma said over the years, the media in the country have been undertaking patriotic roles that continue to support revenue collection as evidenced through swift dissemination of information to members of the general public about taxation and MRA’s operations countrywide.

“Such efforts have enabled more Malawians to voluntarily come forward to pay tax and financing the national budget. By promptly paying taxes, Malawians are progressively realising that domestic resource mobilisation for government’s operations is possible.

“This is the reason MRA is very committed to provide the public with facts through the media and I urge you to always be in constant touch with the Corporate Affairs Division. We will continue to provide you with feedback on developments taking place at the tax collecting body,” said Kapoloma, adding taxation is a technical field and modalities of practice are dynamic, requiring well informed media to competently articulate tax issues.

He said the authority will continue to play its role within its mandate and have put several initiatives that are already being implemented to ensure sustainable growth in revenue collection.

“First seven months of the fiscal year we had numerous compliant taxpayers who paid their tax liabilities on time and in full. It is, therefore, with great humility that the Authority sincerely expresses its heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to all taxpayers who always voluntarily come forward to pay their taxes,” he added.

Alex Banda for Zodiak, who is one of the journalists attending the training, said the information MRA is providing is an eye opener, adding that as a journalist, he needs to give people right information always.

Banda has since commended MRA for continuously engaging the media with various information concerning tax, saying this has potential to spur the country’s economic development since media will be able to disseminate information from informed angle.

A similar training was also conducted in Lilongwe about a week ago.