BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
Zimbabwe’s tax authority is on a mission to revolutionize trade facilitation and revenue collection through digital innovation. In an exclusive interview, ZIMRA Commissioner General Regina Chinamasa shared her vision for a digital revolution in trade facilitation and revenue collection.
“We’re creating a single Zimbabwe Electronic Single Window (ZESW) to simplify trade processes,” Chinamasa explained. “By mid-2025, we’ll have 14 agencies on board, ensuring timely interventions and reducing human interface. This initiative is part of our digitization strategy, which aims to enhance trade facilitation and promote the ease of doing business in Zimbabwe.”
The ZESW system was introduced in 2022 to simplify trade processes and enhance the efficiency of legitimate traffic clearance at Zimbabwe’s ports of entry.
As the interview progressed, Chinamasa highlighted the benefits of the Tax Revenue Management System (TaRMS), saying, “TaRMS has improved our revenue collection by 60% since its deployment in December last year. We’ve deployed the system in December last year, and we’ve collected 60% of our revenue through that system. We’re happy that we’ve managed to deal with the teething issues, get feedback from our taxpayers, and train our staff members.”
Chinamasa emphasized the importance of integrations in ensuring data accessibility and validation. “We’re doing integrations to ensure that data is accessible, and we can deal with validation, modern threats like identity threats. The single source of data is good for the efficacy of the system. It’s also addressing challenges that come through human interface on issues around corruption. We’re hoping that the Zimbabwe Single Window and TaRMS will answer to the problem of internal revenue leakages.”
As ZIMRA moves forward, Chinamasa expressed optimism about the impact of these initiatives. “We’re confident that the Zimbabwe Single Window and TaRMS will help us attain our goals and make a significant difference in the lives of Zimbabweans. We’re happy with how we’ve progressed with its implementation, and we’re hoping that it will help us attain our Vision 2030 goals.”