The Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) says it collected N$45.1 billion in net tax revenue from 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024.
NamRA Commissioner Sam Shivute said the collections represent an increase of N$7.1 billion compared to the same period last year, where N$38 billion had been collected by September 2023.
“This collection equates to 52.87% of the revenue target of N$85.3 billion set for the current financial year, underscoring our continued efforts to enhance revenue collection and improve tax compliance across the nation,” he said.
Shivute noted the revenue generated for the period under review is made up of 65% from domestic taxes and 35% from customs and excise.
In terms of refunds, “N$5.1 billion was disbursed to taxpayers following audits and verifications, with N$4.8 billion accounting for 95% relating to value-added tax refunds,” he added.
In March 2022, NamRA commenced an investigation into fraudulent tax refunds that had been paid to certain taxpayers.
As part of this initiative, 1,496 individual provisional taxpayers and 18 companies, as well as close corporations, have been identified as recipients of fraudulent payments, resulting in the recovery of N$104,6 million to date.
“Criminal cases have been opened against 57 individuals, including two NamRA staff members. We will continue to intensify our investigations and collaborate with the Namibian Police and commercial banks to ensure that the justice process takes its course and that all funds owed to the State are recovered,” he revealed.
Meanwhile, in terms of NamRA’s mass tax refund exercise, 50,804 taxpayers have been identified as beneficiaries of refunds, totalling N$75.1 million.
Included in this amount are refunds below N$3,000, a deliberate step by NamRA to reduce audit backlogs and speed up the refund process.
“The highest refund amount within the group of compliant taxpayers is N$20,828.77, while the lowest is N$100.00. Of the total refunds, N$74.9 million is attributable to income tax, and N$259,709.42 pertains to value-added tax (VAT),” Shivute noted.
He added that while the majority of refunds have been successfully processed, N$61.8 million could not be disbursed due to unresolved taxpayer issues.
“Specifically, 27,903 taxpayers have outstanding tax returns and 10,172 have no banking details on their profiles. NamRA values the cooperation of all taxpayers throughout this process and remains dedicated to minimising delays in future refund payments,” he said.
However, the Commissioner clarified that the refunds currently being paid out by NamRA should not be confused with the recent refunds issued to government employees and certain institutions.
“Those refunds resulted from amendments to the Income Tax Act, and, as per standard procedure, employers were required to refund their employees for overpaid Pay-As-You Earn (PAYE) taxes covering the period from March to September 2024,” he said.
NamRA can only issue tax refunds after the end of the financial year, once taxpayers have submitted their tax returns and assessments have been completed.
