With close to two years since the introduction of the blue channel service – a Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) trade facilitation system that enables quick customs clearance, over 200 companies have benefited from the facility and are 99 percent compliant.

According to the RRA Director for Tax Payer Services, Gerard Nkusi Mukubu, the system was introduced in March last year in a bid to ease and quicken the customs verification process thus providing benefits to both the importing community and the Customs services.

"To date those who access this service have met 99 percent of what is demanded. On the taxpayer’s side, it reduces costs of doing business in terms of time and money whereby average time release today stands at one day from five days.”

"Through blue channel, it is also faster to access goods and bring them to the market. RRA also benefits in the sense that regular importations bring more revenues and it is a signal to the community that there are rewards for being compliant,” he told The New Times.

Officials also note that an importer is eligible to this service if he or she imports big volumes of goods, imports regularly, has records that indicate compliance and keeps clean books of records.

"We commend tax payers that have been compliant in all aspects as we continue to deal with those who are non compliant,” he added.

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