The Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) is set to pay out N$66.8 million in tax refunds for the period 1991 to 2023 to 63,150 individual salaried persons and pensioners.
According to NamRA, the lowest refund to be paid on Friday will be N$100, while the highest will be N$101,959.61.
“In an effort to address the backlog of pending refunds, NamRA has established risk parameters and meticulously calculated the threshold per taxpayer. This resulted in the processing of 91,092 returns. The Agency has implemented a series of innovative measures to expedite the refund process, which includes thorough scrutiny, risk assessment, a general acceptable risk threshold, and an automated refund process. This significant initiative underscores NamRA’s commitment to delivering efficient and timely services to taxpayers,” said NamRA Chief Strategic Communications and Support Engagements, Yarukeekuro Steven Ndorokaze.
Ndorokaze,however, said 8,137 taxpayers who were found without bank account details on their profiles, and whose employers have not remitted the withheld Pay As You Earn (PAYE) or entered into a payment arrangement honored for at least six months, will not be paid.
“Out of those due for a refund, 8,137 taxpayers lack bank account details on their profiles, and therefore, the refunds will not be processed. It must be pointed out that taxpayers whose employers have not remitted the withheld Pay As You Earn (PAYE) or entered into a payment arrangement honored for at least six months will not be included in this phase of refunds,” he said.
“NamRA remains dedicated to minimizing delays in the refund process, and we pledge to continue implementing strategies to ensure the timely release of refunds going forward.”
The announcement comes as the revenue agency is owed over N$73 billion in unpaid taxes, penalties, and interest by taxpayers, of which N$43 billion is in the form of penalties, N$16.5 billion in the form of capital, and N$12.6 billion in the form of interest.
