HARARE-The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) says corruption and high level of non-compliance from the tax payers  has been detrimental to its revenue collection efforts  as reflected by an  increase in debt levels  which now stands at $2 billion since 2014. At an annual general meeting (AGM) on Thursday, ZIMRA Board Chairman, W.Bonyongwe said  corruption is rife in Zimbabwe and it needs collective measures to curb it.

"We are in a nation where corruption is high and you can not attack it. Its like you've got cancer in your body. You have to attack it hostillically so that it doesn't migrate from the arm to the head or to the leg and we've done what we can, but it would really require a national consensus and i think it would also require that when somebody is caught and the entire system, the police where they take statements, the prosecutor they profile charges to the judiciary, the judges, the sentence it has to be speaking to the same thing," she said.

Despite various measures being undertaken by the revenue authority to fight against corruption, ready statistics indicate that the authority is  losing a significant amount of  money through corruption. "The fight for corruption is there, we have done it but i don't think we have even moved. We're just scratching on the surface," says Bonyongwe. She also pointed out that corruption is carried out not only within ZIMRA but involves outside players."The corruption at ZIMRA is beingh carried out not only buy ZIMRA staff but by the staff and the people out there. "Its like a organised crime, so we need help. Its one of the problems we are facing as a nation," she said. ZIMRA Commission General, F.Mazani said that the organisation is taking various measures to fight against corruption. "Indeed as an organisation we are doing the best we can to fight corruption. Our biggest strategy being to deal with corruption internally through our code of conduct which ensures that whoever is caught is actually brought to book and the requisite penalties are imposed including dismisal. "We have also taken advantage of our whistle blower facility which as the Chairman has indicated actually gives us information on both internal and those who are perpetrating it from outside and this has also helped us in trying to address the issue of compliance which is a major issue. "Internally we also conduct lifestyle audits and at times we receive information through our hot-line and we pursue those and preaching the word against corruption is one of the key messages we are always sharing through circulars and i have been going around, management has being going around, we have our loss-control which is tasked with all issue where we could be losing through internal and external corruption," she said. She also said that ZIMRA is trying to engage with other International revenue administrations using World Customs Organisation (WPO) strategies to address corruption. She reiterated that ZIMRA is exposed because they are the holders of government money and everyone wants to have access to it. Speaking on the issue of compliance, Mazani described the culture in Zimbabwe as "against paying taxes and duties." She said those supposed to pay taxes and duties try by all means to find ways to evade the payments and this has perpetrated a "culture of non-compliance." Mazani said this issue of non-compliance is reflected in terms of debt position which has continued growing. As part of their strategies, she said ZIMRA will try to motivate voluntary compliance, educate people to comply among other measures to improve compliance. Bonyongwe said that there has not been formal approach to liase with anti-corruption agencies, but efforts to collaborate has been made but there are cases which ZIMRA sends to the Police, Anti-Corruption Commission and that they also work very closely with RBZ. On the staggering debt, Bonyongwe said that its recovery has to be done cautiously and highlighted efforts through which some organisations try to evade it. "The debt in terms of is it recoverable, i think when we write off the debt we have to do it very very cautiously and if the organisations are there and are still existing and operating. In most cases they judge change the company name or change the bank but we are always following. "We try to make sure that we don't carry it to the point where it is not recoverable," she said. ZIMRA has over the past years been caught up in corruption allegations which dented its image resulting in loss of confidence by the public.