Editor,

I wish to thank members of the Revenue Protection Department (RPD) for helping Rwandan business community. This week’s operation that saw Revenue Protection Unit confiscate 80 cartons of liquor smuggled into the country from Goma, in Democratic Republic of Congo, was indeed commendable.

Tonnes and tonnes of smuggled goods are still coming into Rwanda. It will be a tough war to fight since, in the neighboring countries, corruption or smuggling is very rampant, yet fighting this vice requires collective cooperation among regional countries.

Reports of smuggled goods from either Uganda or DRC into the country are widespread and to succeed, the smugglers  must have local contacts in Rwanda.

Members of the Revenue Protection Unit should work with police and investigate these smugglers’ accomplices. For example, it’s  common knowledge that expensive liquors are smuggled from DRC, brought to Kigali and sold cheaply.
This frustrates local business people who pay taxes but cannot make profits. We commend police but they should involve people especially the business community because these are the people who could give relevant information about these activities.

I also agree that the Ugandan and Congolese borders are the most frequently used routes by smugglers and people living near these borders have a role to play in fighting this habbit.

Eric Mugabo
Kigali