Botswana struggles to collect taxes � report

In 2012, Botswana collected direct and indirect tax amounting to $4.45 billion (P47.9bn), attaining the 18th position out of 45 African countries, according to the 2015 Africa Capacity Report (ACR).

Earlier on, the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) admitted that it still faces some constraints in collecting the optimum tax and customs revenues that can potentially be collected. The tax agency’s commissioner general, Ken Morris was quoted as saying that inadequate capacity to undertake more enforcement activities to cover all areas of the country is one of the constraints that the agency is facing. He has also cited other constraints such as public ignorance of the importance of tax, which he said translates into low compliance levels, as well as the lack of an enterprise risk management function for increased efficiency in collection.