By Zachary Gava
Harare, (New Ziana) – The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) is entering a new chapter with a mandate to build a smarter, more efficient and technology-driven tax administration system capable of keeping pace with Zimbabwe’s evolving economy.
Speaking in Harare on Wednesday during ZIMRA’s 25th anniversary celebrations, Finance and Investment Promotion Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube said the authority had grown from an institution operating in a vastly different economic and technological environment into a critical pillar of the country’s domestic resource mobilization strategy.
ZIMRA began operations on September 1, 2001, taking over from the former Department of Taxes under the Revenue Authority Act [Chapter 23:11].
Its mandate includes collecting revenue, administering tax and customs laws, facilitating trade and travel, and advising Government on fiscal and economic matters.
Professor Ncube said the authority’s transformation over the past quarter-century must now be matched by an expanding revenue base as Zimbabwe pursues its Vision 2030 development agenda.
“When ZIMRA was established in 2001, our economy, technology and patterns of commerce were very different. Yet the fundamental mandate has remained constant – to collect revenue, administer tax and customs laws, and facilitate trade and travel,” he said.
“As our economy expands, Zimbabwe must rise with it. A growing economy must produce a growing revenue base because a stronger revenue base gives Government greater capacity to finance national priorities.”
He said domestic resource mobilization had become increasingly important at a time when many developing countries faced constrained access to affordable external financing and a shrinking pool of development assistance.
“Domestic resource mobilization is not simply an administrative objective but it is an essential pillar of our national sovereignty,” He said.
The Minister challenged ZIMRA to broaden the tax base, strengthen compliance, reduce revenue leakages and make tax administration fairer and more predictable.
He said Government was targeting an increase in the tax-to-GDP ratio to 22 percent, stressing that achieving the target would require both an efficient revenue authority and sound fiscal policies.
He also highlighted the direct link between tax compliance and the delivery of public services, saying Government’s budget allocations to health, education and social protection were ultimately supported by domestic resources.
“Your contribution matters. Your compliance matters, and ultimately it is about the benefits,” he said.
Prof Ncube urged taxpayers and businesses to meet their lawful obligations, saying a functional social contract between citizens, businesses and Government was essential for national development.
“A well-administered tax system requires all citizens and businesses to meet their lawful obligations. When that social contract works, the whole machine moves forward,” he said.
He also paid tribute to ZIMRA employees who have served the institution over the past 25 years, particularly officers who have worked under difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions in the execution of their duties.
He said the anniversary should therefore not only celebrate ZIMRA’s past but also prepare it for a future shaped by digitalization, increasingly sophisticated commerce and greater economic inter-connectedness.
“ZIMRA must therefore remain equal to the economy itself, modernizing its systems, anticipating the needs of taxpayers, efficient at our borders and deserving of taxpayers’ confidence,” he said.
ZIMRA Board chairperson, Anthony Mandiwanza said the authority’s growth had been driven by successive generations of employees who had built the institution into a key component of Zimbabwe’s fiscal architecture.
From approximately 1 700 employees in 2001, Mandiwanzwa said, ZIMRA now has about 3 190 employees, reflecting the expansion of its operations and responsibilities.
“Institutions are ultimately built by people. From approximately 1 700 employees in 2001 to about 3 190 today, ZIMRA’s journey represents thousands of careers, sacrifices and years of service,” Mandiwanza said.
He paid tribute to former boards, commissioners-general, executives, managers and employees who laid the foundation for the authority, while remembering colleagues who lost their lives in the course of duty.
Looking ahead, Mandiwanza said ZIMRA’s challenge was no longer simply to collect more revenue, but to become more capable, efficient, trusted and future-ready.
The authority, he said, would have to embrace artificial intelligence, strengthen its resilience against cyber threats and complete the integration of systems and processes across its operations.
“The challenge before ZIMRA is therefore to collect more, but to become more capable, efficient, trusted and future-ready,” he said.
Mandiwanza said the authority’s next strategic phase would be aligned with Vision 2030 and would focus on strengthening revenue administration, facilitating legitimate commerce, harnessing technology and delivering greater value to taxpayers and the economy.
He also stressed the importance of human capital, saying ZIMRA’s future depended on having “smart, capable and empowered” employees.
The anniversary celebrations also recognized employees who have given 25 years of service to the authority, with 25 long-serving employees receiving recognition awards.
Taxpayers were also honoured through the 2026 Taxpayer Appreciation Awards, which recognized companies that demonstrated outstanding tax compliance during 2025.
As ZIMRA marks its silver jubilee, its leadership now faces the task of transforming the institution’s quarter-century legacy into a more agile revenue authority – one that can harness technology, widen the tax base, improve compliance and support Zimbabwe’s economic ambitions under Vision 2030.
New Ziana
