Leemisa Thuseho
THE Revenue Services Lesotho (RSL) have completed its series of educational clinics aimed at improving clients’ tax compliance by enabling them to file their tax returns and pay taxes online using the RSL e-taxation platform (e-filing).
The clinics were held for various businesses and their employees in Berea and Maseru.
Sectors that benefited from the workshops include retail, wholesale and commercial farming, commercial properties, construction, hospitality, professional services, cleaning, catering, security services and media houses.
The clinics started on 23 April and ended on Tuesday with a final session for media houses and practitioners at Lancers Inn in Maseru.
RSL Client Education and Marketing Officer, Relebohile ‘Molaoa, told that final session that the purpose of the clinics was to educate and guide clients on how to register and use the newly introduced e-taxation platform.
“The purpose of the clinics was to educate and guide clients on how to file income tax returns using the newly introduced e-taxation platform (e-filing), which is intended to make it easy for clients to meet their tax obligations,” Mr ‘Molaoa said.
RSL was hosting the clinics in collaboration with the Lesotho Institute of Accountants (LIA) as the sessions were also intended to educate clients on how to prepare correct and complete financial statements to ensure accurate filing of income tax returns.
The other purpose was to educate and guide them on how to access and use the RSL online services that include online tax clearance certificate, online Value Added Tax 11 (VAT 11) and the e-taxation.
Mr ‘Molaoa said the clinics came at the right time, as the filing season started on 1 April and will run until 30 June 2024. It is within this time all taxpayers, resident and non-resident, are required to fulfil their tax obligations, by filing their tax returns and paying taxes due.
The filing season workshops were thus helpful because clients were expected to use the e-taxation platform to honour their obligations.
“We are in what we call a filling season campaign at which taxpayers are expected to honour their tax obligations. All these will be expected to be done online… this saves time and money and gives clients the privilege to file at their own convenient time.
“The world today is undeniably digital and we can’t be left behind as RSL, we are also transitioning from manual to digitisation,” Mr ‘Molaoa said.
Mr ‘Molaoa admitted that the use of the online platforms could be challenging to other clients who can’t use technology. However, he said the RSL team was determined to do all in its powers to assist in such incidents.
