TANZANIA:State to start monitoring mobile top up services

AS Telecommunications Traffic Monitoring System (TTMS) has already yielded convincing results in the country, plans are underway to develop Airtime Monitoring System to monitor local airtime top up.

The Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), Telecommunication Taxation Manager, Mr Godwin Barongo, said they have already commenced the process together with Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA).

“In the recent past, many people in the country have ditched scratch cards and turned to simbanking and mobile money services for top ups, it is not easy for us to tax that money because there is no software to track that,” he noted.

Mr Barongo further said it was easy to control scratch cards as they are not made in the country, it is only during import process that is when they start monitoring them, saying that they do not even have figures of how much they are losing.

He further said that through the reports they received from TCRA, each month they have learnt that the government has been taxing only cash in and not cash outs, mobile firms’ stands to make extra profit since there is little cash in transactions.

Earlier, the Minister for Works, Transport and Communications, Prof Makame Mbarawa, said TRA should adopt the system which will enable the country to obtain more revenue, which is the main focus of the fifth phase government.

“Our aim is to get appropriate tax. The system must be put in place, we cannot afford to continue losing revenue and it will also assist you in setting policies,” he said. Prof Mbarawa also restated the government decision to switch off fake mobile phones on June 16, this year, for health, security and value for money reasons.

According to TCRA Director General, Dr Ally Simba, in March, this year, more than 5.5 trillion/- had been transacted in the mobile money services in the country where TRA collected 35.9 bn/-.

Dr Simba said through TTMS they introduced international incoming and outgoing calls tracking system, in which they have been able to generate 42bn/- in revenues since it commenced operation in 2013. The director said since they commenced using the international incoming calls system in 2013, 16 cases were already in court for alleged fraudulent use of communication networks.

SOURCE:DAILYNEWS