Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) has embarked on activities to recognise outstanding taxpayers in the 2022/2023 fiscal year. The activity was launched on October 17, 2023, in Southern Province. ALSO READ: RRA recognizes outstanding taxpayers in Western Province The 21st edition of recognising taxpayers is an annual activity established by the government as an opportunity to showcase achievements in terms of tax collection by rewarding the best contributors and appreciating the role of the private sector and other institutions. This year, the month dedicated to taxpayers was organised under the theme “Use EBM invoice to build Rwanda”. ALSO READ: Taxpayers to access EBM services on mobile phones One outstanding taxpayer from each district among eight in Southern province was recognised. At province level, one outstanding local administrative entity taxpayer who complied with EBM use and an outstanding buyer who requested a lot of EBM invoices at the province level was recognised. Deputy Commissioner General of Rwanda Revenue Authority, Jean Louis Kaliningondo, said that recognising outstanding taxpayers aims to raise the culture of tax-paying and use of EBM. “The activity of recognising best taxpayers is an opportunity to show Rwandans and taxpayers in general what has been achieved in terms of tax collection which generates a lot of benefits to them,” he said. He emphasised that EBM is an important tool in collecting taxes saying it also enables traders to get reliable data to be able to plan and monitor their businesses. Since 2013, RRA has embarked on the vast ambition of digitalising the sales invoice information through the usage of an Electronic Billing Machine (EBM) System. “In the coming days, VAT declaration will be much easier, just by one click, and probably verify with eyes if what the technology is telling you is exact,” he noted. Kaliningondo assured taxpayers and other partners that RRA will continue to improve operations and work together to address their challenges. Celestin Kubumwe, the chairperson of the Private Sector Federation in Southern Province, commended the system being established to facilitate traders in their development and national development. ALSO READ: Southern Province targets over Rwf37 billion in taxes “We urge traders to comply with paying taxes on time and avoid non-compliance with existing tax laws. We also request the use of EBM invoices and avoid smuggling,” he said. Southern Province governor, Alice Kayitesi, indicated that the national economy is stable as Rwanda is working hard to cope with inflation caused by climate change and international politics, noting that the government took several measures to reduce the impact on the population. To cope with the situation, the government provided subsidies on transport and a value-added tax (VAT) waiver on maize flour and rice in an effort to help ease food price inflation. Some products will not be taxed in the current financial year as a result of tax policy reforms that aim at sustaining the economic recovery path from the Covid-19 pandemic impact, protecting local producers, and harmonising taxation with other Partner States in the East African Community (EAC). Commenting on EBM, Kayitesi said: “Every buyer should request an EBM invoice. Traders should understand that it is their duty to provide EBM invoices whenever they sell a product. This helps traders in accounting and planning and be able to know the amount of taxes they have to pay. We ask the private sector to maintain the effort in this drive.”
