ZRA records decline in corruption at Chirundu

ZRA records decline in corruption at Chirundu
By Kabanda Chulu
Tuesday May 27, 2008 [04:00]

CORRUPTION activities among Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) officials at Chirundu border post has reduced from 13 per cent recorded in September 2007 to four per cent in April 2008. And ZRA Chirundu station manager assistant commissioner Arnold Nkoma said there was need to develop appropriate penalties for ZRA employees who demand bribes and prosecute those who offer bribes.

Releasing the findings of an independent survey conducted last month at Chirundu border post, the Zambia Threshold Project stated that unofficial payments, including bribes, had been reduced to four per cent on all relevant transactions conducted between ZRA customs and Zambian households.

the 13 per cent level recorded in September 2007 and the 14.5 per cent baseline reported in the 2004 National Governance Baseline Survey,” it stated.

The survey further stated that more than half of Zambian respondents at the Chirundu survey site believed that ZRA was providing leadership in the fight to reduce corruption in the country.

“Even among those few individuals who indicated that corruption was still a factor to contend with, 99 per cent did not believe that ZRA co-workers or supervisors were aware of the illegality,” It stated.

“This is a major improvement since before the publication of ZRA’s Taxpayer Charter eight months ago, 26 per cent of travellers passing through Chirundu reported that a pattern of corruption existed, condoned by senior management but that situation no longer prevails.”

And Nkoma believed this positive trend would continue with even further reductions as a result of the new customer service strategy adopted by ZRA management that was now being rolled out nationwide.

“We are pleased with the survey results, but we also request greater cooperation from Zambians because honest declaration of dutiable items into the country will help ZRA management stationed at Zambia’s borders to fight corruption more effectively,” said Nkoma

. “Don’t forget that a bribe is often a violator’s solution to escape confiscation of undeclared or illegal goods and we are working hard to ensure that our officers do not participate in such illegal transactions hence the need to develop appropriate penalties for both the ZRA employee who takes a bribe as well as all those who offer bribes.”
The Zambia Threshold Project is funded by Millennium Challenge Corporation in conjunction with the United States Aid for International Development (USAID).