Electronic permit deadline looms

Two days to the deadline of paying for drivers’ licenses, the total number of motorists who have paid countrywide is still low. At Amahoro Stadium, people were still trickling in and the queues were short. Despite the low turn up, an employee of Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) who asked to remain anonymous saying he was not the spokesperson expressed optimism that by the end of the month, the exercise will have been finalised. “Four hundred people turned up today. We will have finished the exercise by the end of the month,” he said. But upcountry, in the Southern Province, the turn up was worse, with RRA staff serving only 25 people the whole day. “The turn up is still poor with only 25 drivers having turned up,” said Gerald Nkusi Mukubu, Director Tax Services at RRA who was in the province said. And the estimate number of those that have so far paid countrywide shows that they are still far from reaching 70, 000, the number of drivers supposed to upgrade to electronic driving permits in the country. “We have so far received payments from about 15,000 to 20,000 people countrywide,” stated Robert Niyonshuti head of traffic. However, Niyonshuti said that the payments will be completed despite the low turn up. The payment for electronic permits had been scheduled to end on September 25th but was later postponed to October25th. The extension was as a result of many drivers’ still failing to pay for the permits. Most of them complained that Frw50,000 is ‘much’ and the time given to pay is short. “The first time we paid Frw20, 000 for the licenses [manila permits]. Now they are asking for Frw50, 000 for the electronic permits,” said Verdiste Mugunga an employee with Bralirwa, a beverage company. Government expects to raise Frw3.5 billion from issuing electronic permits. Niyonshuti explained that the fee conforms to the expenses involved in manufacturing the electronic permits. “It is not much considering the quality of cards and the cost of manufacturing.” he said. He further explained that the electronic permits apart from curbing forgeries, “mean the system is changing to electronics. Ends

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Electronic permit deadline looms