Long queues were yesterday formed at Rwanda Revenue Authority’s (RRA) tax clearance points countrywide as the deadline for paying last year’s taxes is running out.

At the RRA head offices in the City of Kigali, over 600 taxpayers were by 2 p.m still waiting to be cleared for fear of hefty fines if they did not meet yesterday’s deadline.

"I came here as early as 7a.m while it was still raining and found others also waiting before the office had opened. But imagine up to now, I have not been cleared,” one taxpayer explained.

Taxpayers in the queue claimed the payment points were few and that the RRA seemed not to mind about the problem.

However, Eugene Torero, Deputy Commissioner General of RRA, said taxpayers were given enough time to pay taxes but only opt to come at the eleventh hour.

"We have regional offices throughout the country, which registered minimum transactions before March,” he said. Celestin Bumbakali, the Director for Domestic Taxes said: "We have 12 tax payment points located in strategic areas throughout the country. It beats our understanding when taxpayers rush in at the last day yet they have enough time running from 1st January to 31st March to pay their taxes.”

Bumbakali continued that RRA has always advised taxpayers to pay all "your tax dues on time and be issued with tax clearance certificate but many seem not to mind.”
 "So I do not think we are to blame for this,” he said.

The official further stressed that those who failed to clear their tax dues by yesterday will be fined in accordance with the law. Some of the quarterly taxes people were rushing to clear include; corporate income tax and property taxes like vehicle taxes.

And the fines vary depending on period spent after the deadline, and the type of tax to be paid.
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