Tanzanian shop owners strike against unfair tax assessments
Store owners in all six regions of Tanzania have closed their doors and embarked on a walkout due to what they perceive to be unjust tax assessments from revenue authorities.
In Kariakoo, a busy shopping complex in the port city of Dar es Salaam, the shop owners’ strike got underway on Monday. Later on, it extended to the regions of Mbeya, Mwanza, Dodoma, Mtwara, and Arusha.
Tanzania’s capital, Dodoma, hosted a meeting between Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa and heads of traders’ associations on Wednesday. However, no formal statement was issued following the discussions.
In order to conduct a review of the tax collection system, the government put a stop to an inspection of electronic fiscal device (EFD) receipts for taxes collected by the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) on Monday.
Leaders of merchants’ associations and regulatory agencies convened in Dar es Salaam with the ministers in charge of finance, trade, and planning decided to put an end to the inspection of the EFD receipts.
Shopkeepers at the Kariakoo retail mall, like Rashid Mhina, have been compelled to close in order to speak with the authorities regarding the inhospitable tax demands.
“TRA officials have been applying unfriendly measures when collecting returns, affecting their business development,” he said.
Members of Parliament said that the situation presented hazards to the nation’s economy on Monday and requested the government to provide specific explanations regarding the continued traders’ strike.
