Rwanda Revenue Authority has unveiled a new control and warning system to monitor its major tax collection operations.

The Rwf5-billion Early Warning and Control System (EWACS), facilitated by Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), will control tax operations from six major sources.

EWACS, according to officials from RRA, will conduct real-time surveillance of entire systems and warn operators when it detects potential risks that could affect performance.

The system is also expected to analyse large quantities of data to improve the user accessibility of systems and detect abnormal and suspicious transactions.

Richard Tushabe, the RRA commissioner-general, said the system should make tax services more efficient and timely.

"This system will help us coordinate all other programmes,” he said. "For instance, tax officials in Kigali will be able to monitor work at the Rubavu customs post and provide support if there is a problem.”

Additional upgraded systems will soon be implemented to save the tax body time and money, especially by gathering key information on tax flow.

According to Hyeong Lae Cho, the KOICA country director, EWACS was developed by Korea Trade Network with a grant from KOICA to help build capacity for tax and customs services in Rwanda.

Joel Ntihemuka, the deputy commissioner for ICT at RRA, said the new system will closely monitor customs business, including the ‘electronic single window,’ which handles all business of customs at all border posts.

EWACS will also monitor the flow of domestic tax business operations, including VAT, excise, income and PAYE taxes.

"With it we can cross-check timely, non-fiscal business operations, like the money which is collected on behalf of immigration office, check decentralised taxes, electronic billing machiens and other platforms allowing taxpayers to declare and pay their taxes,” he said.

Ntihemuka added that his department now is able to handle the incoming flow of tax declaration irrespective of when, where and how they are logged in.

He said there are about 13,000 users on the system across the country.

Korean Ambassador to Rwanda Kim Eung-Joong said the cooperation between Rwanda and Korea has opened doors for technology-oriented business projects.

"We commend the efforts of KOICA in setting up this system, which will contribute to the tax reforms and support economic development in general,” he said.

"This is one of the first project that are bearing fruit in Rwanda-Korea cooperation. It is a good gift of friendship of the Korean people to the Rwandan people.”

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