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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) is set to move the payment of import duty on motor vehicles to Manica Transit Shed in a move set to improve efficiency and convenience for car dealers and individuals. Sources within the organisation recently said that the parastatal’s accounts department was already working on the modalities of setting up point of sale machines at Manica.

Car importers have to shuttle between the warehouse and the border post to make payments to Zimra.

“Our accounts department is already working on modalities of setting up point of sale machines and a cash office at Manica. This is one move that is set to create a one-stop shop where the whole vehicle clearing process is done under one roof.

“You will note that at the moment people have to shuttle between Manica transit shed and the border which is to some extent an inconvenience our clients,” said one of the officials.

The introduction of the cash office at Manica comes a few weeks after Zimra introduced the Zero Cash Office concept.

The zero cash concept was mooted in 2005 although Zimra only started implementing it at Beitbridge Border Post on 19 June this year.

It is now compulsory that all payments should be made through the Internet, Point of Sale machines or by depositing the money into Zimra’s CBZ Bank account. It is understood that the zero cash office is open to anyone on ZimSwitch, Visa and MasterCard.

Prior to the new arrangement car importers were making cash payments at the main cash office at the border post amid reports that some of them were being targeted by thieves on their way to the border.

Zimra’s director of legal and corporate affairs Ms Florence Jambwa said recently that the new concept was part of their strategies to consistently improve convenience and security for clients.

She said the new Zero Cash Office would ensure convenience for their clients and promote the use of “plastic money'” which essentially implies 24-hour banking service for them.

“Currently, most inland stations do not handle cash as clients simply make deposits into Zimra accounts.

“As you may appreciate, it is not safe for the transacting public in general and importers in particular to move around with cash.

“The Point of Sale machines which we have introduced at Beitbridge Border Post accept both ZimSwitch and international cards such as Visa and MasterCard, which makes it more convenient for our valued clients.

“Using online systems or the banking system to make duty and tax payments has advantages and provides greater convenience over bringing cash to Zimra offices in a number of ways.

“For instance, clients with Internet banking facilities can transfer funds to Zimra anytime (24 hours a day) from anywhere through their banks and they will be issued with instant receipts,” she said.