The Kariakoo Business Community, on February 04, 2025, has appointed ambassadors from house to house to oversee the business formalization exercise to ensure that everyone is registered and given a TIN number and pays Tax voluntarily with the aim of bringing equality in paying Tax.
Speaking at the inauguration of the ambassadors, the Commissioner General of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), Mr. Yusuph Juma Mwenda said the ambassadors will help ensure that there is equality in paying Tax voluntarily by enabling all people doing business in Kariakoo to register and pay the appropriate Tax, which will create fair competition in the market.
Mr. Mwenda said the main role of TRA is to oversee the welfare of businesses so that they continue to grow and ensure that no business dies, Kariakoo is an important business area that affects all regions and neighboring countries.
He said, Kariakoo are major contributors to Tax due to the existence of small, medium and large Taxpayers so there is a need for TRA to be close to them and help them overcome the challenges they face.
Mr. Mwenda said the policy challenges facing taxpayers have already been created by the Commission and, President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan is working on them while those that need to be addressed by TRA which are systemic and are being resolved by the Authority itself.
Mr. Mwenda said his doors are open at any time for Taxpayers and he is ready to listen to them with the aim of improving their business environment.
“When President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan swore me in, he gave me responsibilities and that is what I am in charge of including managing and promoting the development of business and its prosperity as well as collecting Tax voluntarily without using force and it is a good thing that you have always been ready to pay Tax and even small traders famous like Wamachinha have also proven to me today that they are ready to pay Tax”, said, Mr. Mwenda.
Mr. Mwenda said that no challenge of taxpayers in the country will go unanswered while touching upon the issue of the cargo of Kariakoo traders stuck at the Port which was ordered by the Cargo company and instructed the Deputy Commissioner of Customs to deal with the challenge quickly and provide the traders with their cargo so that they can continue with their business.
Ilala District Commissioner, Mr. Edward Mpogolo said that they are preparing a database of all Kariakoo traders and have put in place a joint procedure with TRA to register traders to reduce the number of trips to the office when they are preparing to start doing business 24 hours a day.
Mr. Mpogolo said that the TRA Commissioner General, Mr. Yusuph Juma Mwenda’s friendly visit to Kariakoo is something that shows the close relationship and cooperation between TRA and traders and indicates an increase in the income of the Kariakoo traders’ community.
He said they have decided to place Ambassadors in every house to help register Traders and enable every Kariakoo business owner to have a TIN number and pay Tax to ensure fairness in Tax payment.
Mr. Severin said that whenever challenges arise, they have been collaborating with TRA to resolve them and create a better environment for Traders in the market.
The leader of the Wamachinha, Mr. Steven Lusinde has thanked the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan for caring about their group while promising the High Commissioner, Mr. Mwenda that they are ready to pay Tax.
