RRA urges cab owners to pay taxes

The Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) in partnership with the legally operating cab (taxi voiture) drivers have urged those who operate illegally to register themselves, work in an organized manner and pay taxes in a bid to contribute to national development. This was during a meeting that was held between the operators and RRA’s tax officials on Friday in Remera. According to the Deputy Commissioner for the small and medium taxpayers’ office, Richard Dada, only a few cab operators are registered for this business. “A recent survey revealed that about 3000 cabs in Kigali do not belong to a specific organization and do not pay taxes to RRA. This meeting therefore serves as a reminder that each operator must acquire necessary documentation before it is too late,” Dada explained. “In partnership with other bodies like the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA), this meeting aims at streamlining the way these cabs operate so that they get registered, pay their taxes and operate in a way that is acceptable by the law.” Dada emphasized that beginning September, this year, the national police will crackdown on the cabs which do not have the necessary requirements to do this business. With regard to registration, the Legal Director of RURA, Beata Mukangabo, noted that as an institution charged with regulating certain public utilities such as transportation, it is imperative for the cab operators to make their business more professional. “Regulation plays a vital role in planning and once all cabs are registered, we will be able to facilitate parking space where customers can find you just like it is for other transporting organizations,” Mukangabo noted. “It is very unfortunate that in our country, a visitor may fail to determine whether or not a car could be a cab. We want this to change so that this business becomes more attractive,” she said, adding that, “All cabs will have a particular colour and specific parking area.” As regards taxes, the RRA Director for Taxpayer Services, Gerard Nkusi Mukubu said that annually, the operators are required to pay Rwf88,000 as income tax. Recent records show that there are 1714 registered minibuses, 150 coasters and only 131 cabsHassan Ingabire whose cab operates around the Kisimenti area said that once implemented, working in an organized manner will encourage several other people who had deserted the business to rejoin. In conclusion, a commission headed by RURA, the Kigali City Council, Rwanda National Police and one of the special hire taxi operators was set up to identify parking space for the cabs. Officials from the ministry of infrastructure, the traffic police, the Rwanda Public Procurement Authority and Kigali city council among others also attended. Ends