THE Marape-Rosso Government is embarking on a bold initiative to digitally transform the Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) into a modern, efficient, and data-driven tax administration.
Prime Minister Hon. James Marape announced this transformative agenda, highlighting the government’s commitment to strengthening revenue collection systems to enhance efficiency, optimize performance, and ensure sustainable economic growth.
“My government is making intentional investments to create a robust tax administration system,” Prime Minister Marape stated.
“We recently approved the awarding of contracts for two critical tax technologies valued at over K100 million. The first is the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS), which replaces the outdated SIGTAS platform and will revolutionize the IRC’s operations. The second is the Goods and Services Monitoring System (GMS), designed to collect GST at the point of sale, ensuring greater compliance and real-time revenue tracking.”
He further outlined the government’s strategic priorities for the IRC, including funding for two additional technological advancements.
“This year, we have allocated resources to prepare for the taxation of digital services provided by global platforms such as Google and Facebook. We have also initiated funding to establish the IRC’s data analytics capability. These systems will reduce tax compliance gaps by integrating data and technology, enabling effective tax collection to meet our budgetary needs while leveraging advanced analytics to optimize revenue strategies.”
The Prime Minister emphasized the broader economic vision driving these investments.
“Our aim is to create a cohesive, technology-enabled tax ecosystem that not only ensures compliance but also paves the way for reducing certain tax burdens, including Salary and Wages Tax and Corporate Income Tax.
“If we can effectively close compliance gaps and collect all taxes owed, we will be able to alleviate the tax burden on citizens and businesses, while recovering forgone revenues through a connected and efficient GST collection system.
“These are transformative investments that reflect my government’s commitment to fostering economic resilience and fairness in tax administration,” the Prime Minister added.
Prime Minister Marape also commended IRC Commissioner General Sam Koim for his visionary leadership in spearheading these reforms.
“Mr. Koim has provided invaluable guidance in identifying and implementing these strategic investments, which will yield significant returns both in the immediate term and for generations to come.”
Mr Koim said once this system is installed and functional, it would help Government to reduce tax and enable it to be better placed to remove GST on essential household items during times of need.
The Marape-Rosso Government’s digital transformation initiative underscores its commitment to creating a sustainable, technology-driven economy while ensuring that the tax administration evolves to meet the demands of a modern and connected world.
