BUJUMBURA April 16th (ABP) – The Burundi Revenue Authority (OBR) organized on Thursday, April 14, 2022 in Bujumbura, an awareness and discussion workshop with representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on their tax obligations.
In an interview he gave to the media, OBR spokesperson, Mr. Stany Ngendakumana, indicated that the goal of the meeting was to sensitize NGOs to compliance with customs tax laws and procedures as well as the fight against customs tax evasion. He said that the latter are among the taxpayers who have been targeted by the OBR as key partners in revenue collection. It is for this reason that the OBR organized this meeting for them to be at the same level as other taxpayers regarding compliance with the law and customs tax obligations by NGOs in Burundi in order to contribute to the improvement of customs tax revenue, he explained.
Mr. Ngendakumana also indicated that he observes errors that are committed by that category of taxpayers from their establishment until the end of their activities, either out of ignorance or in wanting to escape the tax authorities, he said.
Among those errors, he pointed out that some NGOs do not know the procedures for applying for exemptions or the documents that the OBR requires so that they can benefit from the provisions which are provided for by the law on exemptions in Burundi. He also added that there are NGOs that do not know how to declare employment income tax for their employees while specifying that there are challenges in the collection of Value Added Tax (VAT) or reimbursement of VAT in the event of a service or supply to those NGOs.
At the customs level, the OBR spokesperson indicated that those errors relate to the management of the end of projects, among other things, the transfer of vehicles, the sale of goods, even buildings. He also cited those who buy vehicles and keep temporary license plates (IT) when they should have transfers depending on the value of the declaration of the real value of the vehicle at the time of sale.
He also called on them to pay the tax on rental income well to facilitate the collection of revenue because some NGOs rent houses in order to be able to work.
Mr. Ngendakumana did not forget to recall that the OBR organized that awareness workshop to protect those NGOs against sanctions related to non-compliance with the laws.