Simiyu needs TRA regional office - RC

Simiyu Region was formed in 2012; but since then TRA has not built a regional office. The Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr Anthon Mtaka, said yesterday during the business forum that traders and other taxpayers in the region are being forced to travel to Shinyanga Region to seek TRA’s services.

He said there is need for TRA to bring services close to the people and thus asked the taxman to do everything in his power to establish the regional office in the area. “I think it will be good if TRA establishes a regional office here, it is very disturbing to see traders travelling all the way from Simiyu to Shinyanga to pay tax to his government,” he said.

The request forced the Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Prof Elisante Ole Gabriel, to intervene and ask the reasons behind failure to build a regional TRA office for five years now since the establishment of the region.

He said TRA must do everything in its powers to open the office so that people could easily pay tax to the government. He tasked the TRA Director for Taxpayer Services, Richard Kayombo, to make a follow up on the matter.

“I want you to communicate with the TRA commissioner and I believe you will, if you can’t, then I will talk to my fellow PS in the Ministry for Finance and Planning and see how we can solve this matter,” he said.

Meanwhile, presenting the TSN’s plans for Simiyu Region, the company’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Mr Januarius Maganga, said TSN is looking forward to offer professional consultancy, strengthen link between ‘wananchi’ and the government and vice versa as well as enable people to get reliable information on time.

The TIB Head of Business and Marketing, Ms Theresia Soka, said TIB Current Partnership to Simiyu focuses on agriculture on which 563m/- has been allocated to support local farmers in the region.

Also the bank has allocated 56.3bn/-for agro-processing and trade

SOURCE: DAILY NEWS

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