EASTERN PROVINCE GATSIBO — Opinion leaders have been asked to help the government in sensitizing residents about the benefits of Rwanda joining the East African Community. The call was made by Vincent Gatete, an official of the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) during a seminar organized for Executive Secretaries, the business community, and opinion leaders at Gatsibo district headquarters in Kabarore. Speaking at the seminar, Gatete said the role of opinion leaders would be instrumental in educating masses about regional integration. The workshop was meant to educate residents about the taxation system and benefits of the customs union. We want all Rwandans to be conversant with the taxation system now that we are in the East African Community. People should be able to understand the mechanism under which they will be transacting their business right from the district level, Gatete said. Goods produced within the EAC will be exempted from customs duties and there will be a uniform common external tariff for those goods originating from countries outside the bloc, Gatete added. The benefits cited included: Rwanda would benefit from a wider market of over 115 million people in the community, best practices in developing the business community, stronger voice in global trade negotiations, a wider skills base, joint ventures, and investment expansion for the business community. Another important benefit noted was that there would be a joint partnership in developing infrastructure and cutting the cost of doing business in the region. The district vice Mayor, Yvette Dusenge, urged the business community to brace themselves for competition by producing standard goods. Now that there will be free trade that will see other people from the community trading freely here, we should use this as an opportunity to improve the quality of our products and the way we transact business, Dusenge said.Ends
