30 Jul 2026

Business Botswana has urged the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) to adopt a practical and collaborative approach to implementing the country’s new tax laws, stating that timing, flexibility, and stakeholder support are critical for enterprises navigating current economic pressures.

Addressing the Business Botswana and BURS Stakeholder Consultation Workshop on the New Tax Laws in Francistown on Tuesday, Business Botswana Vice President (North), Mr Humphrey Nawa, emphasised that meaningful engagement between regulators and the private sector was essential to developing practical, predictable, and growth supportive policies.

“Business Botswana firmly believes that meaningful dialogue between regulators and the private sector is essential to creating policies that are practical, predictable and supportive of economic growth,” he said.

Mr Nawa said for many businesses, the concern was not compliance itself, but whether new requirements would impose unnecessary administrative burdens while enterprises were focused on survival.

Also addressing the workshop, Acting Commissioner for Domestic Taxes Ms Segametse Radibe-Michael said the objective of the reforms was to build a tax system that supported enterprises, encouraged investment, rewarded compliance and created certainty.

Ms Radibe-Michael added BURS had embarked on a modernisation agenda which included the National Electronic Invoicing Initiative and wider digital transformation to reduce compliance costs and improve service delivery. 

“The laws are now in place. The opportunity is before us. Let history record that Government and the business community chose partnership over division,” she said.

Acting Director Technical Services at BURS, Ms Kealeboga Maleele, said the workshop was held to disseminate and train the business community on the reviewed tax laws.

She noted that the goal was for businesses to comply voluntarily as they journey together in implementation.

“We are saying, the tax laws have been modernised and simplified,” she said. 

The Francistown workshop forms part of the BURS nationwide consultations from July 13 to August 25, 2026, supporting the implementation of the re-enacted Income Tax Act, re-enacted Value Added Tax (VAT) Act, new Tax Administration Act and  amended Customs Act which came into effect on 1 July 2026.ENDS