By Tikondane Vega
Thyolo, May 3, Mana: Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has intensified Coronavirus (Covid-19) preventive measures and adherence in all its border posts and domestic tax offices across the country as one way of containing further spread of the deadly novel virus.
MRA’s Corporate Affairs Manager, Steven Kapoloma said the tax collecting body as an essential service provider has intensified the preventive measures to protect employees, taxpayers and their families.
He told Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Saturday that as preventive measures; clients are advised to use online services by, among others, paying taxes online through Mo626, NBS Bank’s Easy Mobile, FDH Mobile, EcoBank app and internet banking.
“Since MRA is now technologically advanced, clients are advised to use Online Return Filling and payment, online taxpayer services and MRA call centre. That was why we established Msonkho Online which works as online one stop centre for our clients.
“The Covid-19 preventive measures and adherence are being applied in all places including offices and border stations like Mchinji, Songwe, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Blantyre,” Kapoloma said.
The Manager added that at a time when the country needs more money to fund provision of public goods and services, including mitigating short to long-term economic effects arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, more preventive measures are needed so that collection of tax should not be hampered by the pandemic.
The intensification of Covid-19 preventive measures by MRA comes at a time when Chancellor College economics Professor, Ben Kalua told the media a couple of days ago that currently, the economy of different countries is under siege, saying the Coronavirus has a lot of implications on a number of aspects not just travel but also passage of goods across the borders.
A recent survey conducted by the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) on the impact of Coronavirus on businesses in Malawi indicated that the country is susceptible to pressure than before.
Key on the list of threats include disturbance of trade links with the rest of the world, disruption of global value chains and fiscal expenditure that can also have huge impact on tax collection in Malawi.
The analysis was one of the surveys undertaken throughout the year by MCCCI at a given point in time to assess the impact of different factors on businesses and it measured the impact that the Covid-19 has had on businesses in Malawi which is important in guiding business planning and decision making.
The survey was conducted during the week beginning, March 13 2020 and the responses are based on the recent events that have taken place since the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak.
