JPM leaves petty traders smiling

What you need to know:

  • Petty traders across the country will now have special identity cards that will make it easy for TRA to recognize them. This is a new strategy by President Magufuli to protect the group.

Dar es Salaam. At least 670,000 petty traders with less than Sh4 million capital across the country have a reason to smile after President John Magufuli ordered issuance of special Identification cards (ID), will make it easy for Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) to identify them.

The identification cards were distributed today, November 10, 2018 to all regional commissioners during a meeting, which involved  President Magufuli, TRA management and regional commissioners in Dar es Salaam.

The initiative comes following what the President said as many challenges that petty traders have been facing even after the former directed TRA not to disturb them over tax.

“I have told the TRA serveral times not to disturb food vendors and hawkers as their capital is small to be taxed, but still TRA officials continue to disturb them,“ he said.

“I have come up with these identification cards titled ‘Small entrepreneur identification card’ that will be carried by these people wherever they will be doing their activities. In this first phase, each region will have 25,000 ID cards and the exercise will b3e continuous,” he added.

The President also said that given the expense incurred in printing the ID cards, each entrepreneur will have to part with Sh20,000 to have it.

 “All regional commissioners will distribute them to their district counterparts, so that the targeted people can get them easily. They will get it after paying Sh20,000,” he said, insisting that the ID cards cannot be forged.

President Magufuli also called upon the petty traders to find better places where they can carry out their businesses without colliding with TRA and other authorities.

“After they get the ID cards, they should find better places to conduct thier business to avoid being disturbed by different authorities, which also discharge their duties according to the law,” he said.