Giving the media a preview of the LRA's annual report before its presentation to the National Assembly early next year, Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Dr. Timothy Thahane said this was only one of the many achievement of the LRA since it became operational in January 2003.

The LRA collected  over M1 345million in income tax and or sales tax/value added tax in the financial year 2003/2004, exceeding the previous year's collection by 29 percent.

"Efficient tax collection is very important as it is from such revenue that the great majority of a country's development programmes are achieved," Dr. Thahane said.

Other benefits that came with the establishment of the Authority include the simplified processing of goods being brought into the country as compared to the straggling queues that used to form at border posts as people were checked as they came from shopping in South Africa.

"We also want to reverse the process of people having to pay vehicle toll levies, then proceed through customs and only at the end go through immigration. How can you charge a vehicle for coming into the country when it is actually not in as yet?" he asked.

The Authority also released its three year corporate plan, providing organisational policy guidelines and overseeing the Authority's activities to ensure that these adhere to corporate best practices, according to the chairperson of the LRA's governing board, Mrs. Lineo L. Tshabalala.

24 November 2004