Kigali, 2 November 2013
President Kagame has asked Rwandans to work hard so that the country can ultimately become self reliant and cease to be accountable to donors. Speaking today during celebrations to mark the 12th tax payer’s day, President Kagame said it should be the goal of every Rwandan to take charge of their lives without being answerable to anyone.
“I want to thank every Rwandan, from those who work hard on a daily basis to feed their families to those awarded here today, for the hard work and commitment that defines all of you. In spite of the commendable progress registered in tax collection, our taxpayer base remains small. The Government is committed to working to empower every Rwandan to contribute to the development of their country. We will use the taxes to deliver better services to all Rwandans.”
The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Claver Gatete said the impressive progress in tax collection would lead to self reliance sooner than expected. He attributed the success to the review of tax related laws and the introduction of technology in the tax collection process.
The Rwanda Revenue Authority Commissioner General, Ben Bahizi Kagarama said the target of revenue collections had been exceeded and that with further introduction of technology and vigorous promotion of tax compliance, RRA expects to collect more taxes next year.
“Promoting tax payers’ compliance is a collective responsibility so that we can achieve our developmental goals. What we have achieved was because of good partnership with different organs of the state and the goodwill and advice of our leaders.”
Gasamagera Benjamin, the Chairman of the Private Sector Federation commended RRA for the making favorable changes that have enabled business people to pay their taxes more conveniently and allowed them more time to conduct business and earn more profit.
Talking on behalf of tax payers, Jacques Rusirare commended RRA for making it easy for tax payers by availing flexible ways of payment that were not there before. He said that now more than before, tax payers understand the significance of taxes to the nation, and that they are committed to paying taxes to end reliance on foreign donations. During the celebrations, the best tax payers were recognized and awarded