By Neo Kolane
A ground breaking milestone was witnessed as the Lesotho Revenue Authority (LRA) changed its brand identity to Revenue Services Lesotho (RSL); moving from authority to a service in Maseru this week.
Over the years, LRA now RSL has demonstrated its capacity to serve as a key pillar in supporting Lesotho’s development agenda through effective revenue collection.
This achievement has been earned through consistent focus on reforms geared towards modernizing revenue administration processes, and re-vamping the administration’s identity gives this process a new momentum.
The commissioner general of RSL Thabo Khasipe explained that there are three pillars to why LRA has rebranded.
Khasipe said the strategic objective is to increase brand reputation index, the coherent action to build a service and action which will be to review the brand identity.
“The desired outcomes of RSL are improved revenue and quality of service, automatic compliance and reduced cost of collection,” he revealed.
The prime minister Moeketsi Majoro addressed the leadership of RSL saying that as they prepare for the next generation of clients with this brand evolution, Lesotho hopes to see a new tax administration that continues to support collaboration in domestic resource mobilization.
Majoro also said Lesotho hopes to see the administration that facilitates healthy but appropriate and acceptable tax and customs collection aligned to key international tax practices and principals.
“There is a responsibility and a challenge for RSL to live up to the mandate not only of excellent service to the client, but also of maintaining collection for the benefit of Basotho if it is to stand the test of time.
“Our citizens should expect no less (service) from us,” he said.
Majoro also mentioned that the provision of efficient service to the client is today an integral part of a business development process since clients are the kingpins for achieving and sustaining improved performance for any organization whether in public or private sector.
He said the RSL service plays a pivotal role in collection of direct taxes, “and needless to say tax revenue is a reflection of the health of the economy.”
He commented that it also pays for development and infrastructure projects and nation bulding. Given this, expectations from RSL are very high, its success as a service will determine the trajectory of Lesotho’s economy.
The commissioner client services of RSL, ‘Mathabo Mokoko saw the launch as the most updated version of the revenue administration.
Mokoko said that revenue from taxation and customs provides governments with the much needed funds to invest in development, relieve poverty and deliver public services and social infrastructure required to enhance long-term growth.
She said further, integrated revenue administration models have the potential to bring crucial improvements and effectiveness of tax administration.
“At RSL we are convinced that it is critical to create an environment for proper tax payment. A strong and engaged private sector in cooperation with tax practitioners is indispensable to promote voluntary and by extension automatic tax compliance.
“Our pursuit of service excellence is deeply enshrined in our new identity and it has propelled us to include among key priorities the digitization and online systems development. With information technology development comes construction of reliable database with data integrity being closely monitored.
“In RSL therefore human resource development has become indispensable and active capacity building programs are underway for the LRA currently.
“It is from a combination of the above that we actively hope for better service to our valued clients,” Mokoko said.
