A 14-tonne consignment of the Quran appeared among a list of items to be auctioned by the Rwanda Revenue Authority. Fortunately, the Government intervened and the Muslim community received the holy books yesterday without paying a penny. The Quran, like the Bible, is not subject to any taxes. However, according to the Revenue body (RRA), the delay in collecting the consignment had attracted storage-related charges amounting to Rwf 14 million. The consignment had been in RRA warehouses for about a year. The intervention by the Government is a welcome move and points to the respectable place faith based organisation hold in Rwanda. While the issue has been addressed, there are lessons to draw from it. Institutions should not wait for delays in order to address issues. Once the consignment had arrived, those involved should have taken active steps to have the goods reach their intended destination. The role of most faith-based organisations in the rebuilding of the new Rwanda cannot be overstated. Working with them closely benefits the country too. Other than the Quran, there were other items on the list – rightly so. Most of the items on the list were goods whose owners were attempting to smuggle them into the country or failed to pay the required taxes. The role of taxes is straight-forward and the impact of the taxes is evident for all to see. Tax payers and RRA should continually work together to find solutions that affect the tax collection process. These may include flexible payment terms and setting up of efficient communication channels.
