Zambia Streets

ECONOMY | ZRA offers 100% waiver on tax penalties and interest until December 31

September 18, 2026September 18, 2026 zambianstreets

🇿🇲 ECONOMY | ZRA offers 100% waiver on tax penalties and interest until December 31

The Zambia Revenue Authority has opened a nationwide window allowing eligible taxpayers to clear outstanding principal tax and receive a 100 percent waiver on accumulated penalties and interest.

The Extended Voluntary Disclosure Scheme will run from September 17 to December 31, 2026, giving individuals and businesses with outstanding tax liabilities an opportunity to regularise their accounts. The waiver applies to accrued penalties and interest once the principal tax due is settled.

Finance and National Planning Minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane launched the scheme in Lusaka on Thursday, describing it as part of Government’s effort to strengthen voluntary compliance while giving taxpayers a structured route back into the tax system.

“It is important to note that the EVDS is not a reward for non-compliance,” Musokotwane said. “It is a carefully designed compliance intervention that gives eligible taxpayers a structured opportunity to correct past omissions and begin meeting their obligations consistently.”

ZRA Commissioner General Dingani Banda said tax non-compliance remains a challenge and described the scheme as part of the authority’s wider push to improve domestic revenue mobilisation through voluntary compliance.

For taxpayers carrying substantial accumulated penalties and interest, the scheme offers a limited opportunity to settle the underlying tax without those additional charges. The critical condition is the principal liability: taxpayers must settle what they originally owe to benefit from the waiver, with the window closing on December 31.

-The People’s Brief | Francine Lilu