10 Feb 2022

Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS) is expected to collect over 59 per cent for the national budget.

According to BURS commissioner general, Ms Jeanette Makgolo, the figure, was for the revenue sources directly put under BURS which excluded mineral taxes and other revenues.

The organisation therefore has to collect adequate revenue in order for Botswana to meet its recently announced  budget estimates, she stated after a presentation at the Walvis Bay and Botswana Dry Port information sharing session Wednesday.

She said for BURS to meet Batswana’s expectations and fulfil its primary role of mobilising tax revenues and manage border operations for the development of the country, it had to facilitate trade.

The BURS chief said one of the organisation’s efforts to facilitate trade was the establishment of the one-stop facility at Kazungula Border Post.

The facility had cut turnaround times and improved revenue collection, she revealed.

Ms Makgolo said a second one-stop facility was in the offing at Pioneer Border Gate which was currently undergoing a major facelift.

In addition, she said BURS was in negotiations with Namibia for the development of Mamuno Border Gate into another one-stop facility.

 “Once we have one stop border post, we are going to be open twenty four hours,” she stated.

Though opening throughout would come with costs, it was necessary as it would lead to seamless movement of goods and improved revenue collection, said Ms Makgolo.

She said BURS’ next objective would be to bring customs services closer to trade at the Namibian seaport.

The commissioner general said BURS could not achieve  customer satisfaction and facilitate trade without digitalisation and had therefore invested a lot in it.

Further, she said a web-based platform that would provide automated end to end customs processing was underway.

Once completed, the platform would allow among others online payment of goods, said Ms Makgolo.

She said for increased and sustainable cross border trade, there was need for enhanced collaboration at all levels, strengthened public-private sector partnership, improved national and bi-national consultations as well as better communications and road networks.

Business Botswana chief executive officer, Mr Norman Moleele stressed the need for the private sector to thrive and contribute to the socio-economic wellbeing of the region.

 He said improved trade along Tans Kalahari Corridor would hasten attainment of Botswana’s aspiration of high income status by 2036.BOPA