10 Aug 2014

Tax payers have been urged to file their tax returns well in time to avoid congestion at Botswana Unified Revenue Service(BURS) at the eleventh hour.

Briefing the press on the commemoration of BURS 10th Anniversary, BURS commissioner general, Mr Keneilwe Morris said in the past they experienced problems of masses filing their tax returns at last minute.

He also noted that voluntary tax compliance was crucial as people would avoid penalties of evading tax. Mr Morris highlighted some of the BURS achievements for the past 10 years which include the successful merger of the Customs and Taxes under a unified revenue service and an increased national foot print where new offices opened in Bokspits, Kasane, Ghanzi, Letlhakane and Palapye.

BURS also managed to create adequate business support capabilities which were previously provided by other government agencies, he said.

Furthermore, he said revenue performance also grew from P11.8 billion in 2004/5 to P31.4 billion in 2013/14, representing a growth rate of 166 per cent. Mr Morris said they managed to record growth in revenue collected and exceeding targets during the challenging recession period.

He noted that the proportion of tax revenues contributed by BURS to the total revenue budget had averaged around 70 per cent during the 10 year period. The tax register also grew from 44359 taxpayers to 312447, an increase of 604 per cent.

BURS also saw an improved customer service as it established the call centre facility, customer service charter, e-filing of VAT and e-payment of taxes and queue management system. ENDS