At least 10 elite teams, men and women, have confirmed their participation at the forthcoming 2023 Taxpayers Volleyball tournament taking place at BK Arena in the weekend of November 11-12.
The annual volleyball competition is co-organized by Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) and Rwanda Volleyball Federation (FRVB) as an occasion to celebrate the Taxpayers Appreciation Month.
This year’s month-long event is being celebrated under the theme "Request for EBM Receipt to Build Rwanda."
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The 10 teams that registered for the tournament so far include five men’s teams are namely Gisagara, APR, Police, Kepler College and East African University Rwanda while the women’s competition will also attract five teams including RRA, APR, Police, IPRC Kigali and Ruhango Volleyball Club.
RRA has actively been a key player in Rwandan volleyball as it is home to a renowned RRA women's team which recently won the Rwanda volleyball league title last weekend.
It is the same club whose half of its players were part of the national team that secured the fourth place in the 2023 Women's African Nations Volleyball Championship held in Cameroon.
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Jean Paulin Uwitonze, Assistant Commissioner for Taxpayer Services and Communication, said they use the Taxpayers appreciation month as an occasion to the role taxpayers play in funding key development projects, including those in the sports sector.
"The theme for this year serves as a reminder of the significance of consistently requesting EBM receipts if we wish to contribute to our country's development, particularly in the realm of sports. We are all aware that the primary resources to fund these infrastructures are derived from taxes," Uwitonze emphasized.
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Uwitonze, who doubles as RRA Women’ club president, is convinced that team has returned to the pinnacle of the game as the 2023 title triumph brought their seven-year title drought to an end. The club, he said, is now focused on adding the Taxpayers appreciation tournament to their trophy cabinet.
"As the RRA Volleyball Club president, I hope we can win this tournament, despite being the organizers. We aspire to emerge victorious," he added.
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FRVB President Raphael Ngarambe commended RRA for its continued contribution to the development of the volleyball game and hopes to expand the competition to the district level.
"We are in discussions with RRA to explore ways to start the competition at the grassroots level, including schools and districts. We aim to promote tax compliance and also share the message to recognize the best taxpayers," Ngarambe said.
He indicated that this is feasible as many districts now have gymnasiums, and there are plans to increase their numbers.
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REG and APR are defending champions of the tournament in men and women categories respectively.
The Taxpayers Volleyball tournament will not only crown the champions but also recognize the best players in all positions on the field and the most valuable player of the competition.
The Grand event of the Taxpayer Appreciation Day, originally scheduled for November 10, 2023, has been postponed to a yet-to-be-announced date due to conflicting national priorities.