13:35
The
Director of National Payment System at BoT, Mr Bernard Dadi, said the Central
bank agreed to extend TISS working hours to 8pm on weekdays and from 9am to 2pm
on weekends and public holidays to enable all stakeholders to pay their taxes
without limitations.
TISS is an online system that
facilitates real time and gross settlement of payment instructions between
banks.
“We remind all banks to accept all TISS-related
transactions beyond 1pm,” he said. The TRA Commissioner for Customs and Excise
Duty, Mr Tiagi Kabisi, said the Authority welcomed the extension as a major
milestone in improving government revenue collection. “TRA has also extended
working hours for its customers to tie in with the new system,” he explained.
Tanzania
Ports Authority (TPA) has welcomed the extension of Tanzania Inter-bank
Settlement System (TISS) working hours, saying the decision was a game-changer
in efforts to decongest Dar es Salaam port.
Dar
es Salaam Port Acting Manager, Mr Hebel Mhango, said in Dar es Salaam recently
that the system was advantageous to the Authority and other stakeholders
because it supported continuity of port operations under the new devised TPA
working model.
“We
urge them to now change with the port speed and discipline of work by going 24
hours too. We will continue to sensitize our stakeholders on the new system,”
he noted.
Talking earlier, the Acting Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Transport, Mr Gabriel Migire, said the government through BoT has
extended the working hours of the TISS to allow port users pay their taxes up
to 8.00 pm.
He said that apart from improving port efficiency with
a view to attaining targets under the Big Results Now (BRN) initiative in the
transport sector, the new extension would enhance government revenue collection
and money transfers as well as improve efficiency in cargo handling.
Over the last six months during its trial period, the
system has recorded significant amounts of transactions. “Over the last six
months during its trial period, a total of 7,727 transactions worth 382bn/-
have been made as of June 30, 2015,” he said.
He noted that the government will continue to
implement BRN initiatives directed at transforming the port as the hub to the
central transport gateway for East and Central Africa. “I call upon all port
users to effectively use this extension for smooth business operations in
settlements of financial obligations,” he explained.
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