TANZANIA Revenue Authority (TRA) Arusha branch officials have been ordered to stop with immediate effect their recent trend of using armed police officers to assist them while collecting taxes in the public.
“It is a misuse of security personnel as well as weapons,” said Mr Gambo, who had received complaints from traders in the area and the public that TRA officials accompanied by armed police were harassing them in various business stations while collecting taxes.
He asked TRA officials to be ‘decent’ while collecting taxes and also appealed to Arusha Regional Police Commander (RPC) to intervene in the harassment of the citizens. “Citizens should not be forced to pay their taxes at gunpoint to the point of being intimidated,” further said the RC.
He said majority of Tanzanians are people with understanding who know their responsibilities of where and when to pay taxes. Mr Gambo made the speech while addressing members of different denominations especially Christians who were marking Easter Holidays over the weekend in the city.
He said police officers have no right to use excessive force to inform traders that they are obliged to pay taxes. “Last week members of the SUMA National Services (JKT) shot and killed a young boy aged only 15 years, just because the child was passing with his herd of cattle near a reserved forest... this cannot be tolerated,” he pointed out.
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