By Prosper Makene
8th May 2014
Tax administration training is been
offered to more than 400 journalists from across the country and is expected to
build their capacity to monitor good governance aspects in the sector,
encourage compliance, conduct investigative stories and expose tax evaders.
The resulting detailed reporting is expected to give the public better understanding of the sector allowing them to call for accountability of collected funds because it is their money, the facilitators say.
The training is organised by the Tanzania Tax Writers’ Network (Tawnet) and is meant to ensure reporters have the required knowledge to cover the subject.
Making the announcement at the start of the week in Dar es Salaam during the opening of the two-day Tax Administration Training session, Tawnet Managing Director Judica Tarimo said the plan will empower reporters to cover the subject much more comprehensively.
Tarimo said the training will also result in a network of competent reporters noting that: “The network is an important step in the country’s strategies to improve tax reportage.”
“The network will provide for vibrant and extensive reporting on tax issues and will enable the trained reporters to collect and disseminate (through their media outlets) information of public interest on tax issues,” he went on to explain.
Finance Deputy Minister Adam Malima, who graced the two-day training, told participants that training members of the media will increase awareness of tax issues in the community.
“Mass media is a key coordinator between the two sides…tax education for the community is very much needed because paying tax is not a matter of how well one is doing financially but an obligation,” Malima said.
However he expressed disappointment over what he termed as ‘media’s failure to report losses’ that resulted from recent slow downs and closure of shops as traders contested the use of Electronic Fiscal Devices (EFDs).
“The closure of shops has a lot of impact on the national economy, but most of the reporting was based on supporting the move and ignored the impact on the economy,” he lamented.
“Education imparted on the media should continue in a way that explains how the country can get out of dependence on donors and emphasize on government operations to be financed by taxes collected from the public,” he said.
Detailing on the training, Tawnet Managing Director Tarimo said the trained reporters will now be equipped to pursue investigative stories on tax and that way, encourage tax compliance.
According to him, through the resulting educative stories and by also recognising the ‘best taxpayers’ then others will be encouraged to emulate.
The resulting detailed reporting is expected to give the public better understanding of the sector allowing them to call for accountability of collected funds because it is their money, the facilitators say.
The training is organised by the Tanzania Tax Writers’ Network (Tawnet) and is meant to ensure reporters have the required knowledge to cover the subject.
Making the announcement at the start of the week in Dar es Salaam during the opening of the two-day Tax Administration Training session, Tawnet Managing Director Judica Tarimo said the plan will empower reporters to cover the subject much more comprehensively.
Tarimo said the training will also result in a network of competent reporters noting that: “The network is an important step in the country’s strategies to improve tax reportage.”
“The network will provide for vibrant and extensive reporting on tax issues and will enable the trained reporters to collect and disseminate (through their media outlets) information of public interest on tax issues,” he went on to explain.
Finance Deputy Minister Adam Malima, who graced the two-day training, told participants that training members of the media will increase awareness of tax issues in the community.
“Mass media is a key coordinator between the two sides…tax education for the community is very much needed because paying tax is not a matter of how well one is doing financially but an obligation,” Malima said.
However he expressed disappointment over what he termed as ‘media’s failure to report losses’ that resulted from recent slow downs and closure of shops as traders contested the use of Electronic Fiscal Devices (EFDs).
“The closure of shops has a lot of impact on the national economy, but most of the reporting was based on supporting the move and ignored the impact on the economy,” he lamented.
“Education imparted on the media should continue in a way that explains how the country can get out of dependence on donors and emphasize on government operations to be financed by taxes collected from the public,” he said.
Detailing on the training, Tawnet Managing Director Tarimo said the trained reporters will now be equipped to pursue investigative stories on tax and that way, encourage tax compliance.
According to him, through the resulting educative stories and by also recognising the ‘best taxpayers’ then others will be encouraged to emulate.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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