EMASWATI OWING TAX OFFERED 12 MONTHS DEBT RELIEF BY ESWATINI REVENUE SERVICE

The Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS), formerly known as SRA, has provided a cushion to EmaSwati currently owing tax. ERS states that those interested in taking up this offer will have to pay a 20% debt down-payment on all their taxes. The balance can then be settled in a 12 month payment arrangement with the tax authority. The cushion or relief period expires on the 31st of March 2022.The Head of Corporate Communications at the ERS, Vusie Dlamini in an interview with this publication noted that they decided to take this route because they realized how financially over-burdened emaSwati are, yet some want to pay their tax debt. “Our aim is to make it affordable for people to pay their tax debts, and I must hasten to highlight that this facility isn’t intended for those who comply, but those who have debt. This arrangement is also applicable to both companies and individuals” he noted.Additionally, Dlamini noted that the difference with this relief is that those owing Pay As You Earn (PAYE) or Value Added Tax (VAT) will also benefit from this measure by ERS which was not the case previously. He said their rationale before was that when a business receives VAT, it should remit the amount to ERS. However, this time around those owing that amount will also be afforded the relief.