By Seleoe Nonyane
The Revenue Services Lesotho (RSL) has launched an RSL USSD e-payment system which will enable tax payers to use Vodacom’s mobile money platform, M-Pesa to pay all their taxes.
The tax filing season is almost coming to end so, RSL in collaboration with Vodacom Lesotho Financial Services (VCLFS) has come up with a solution that is both convenient and time-saving to the RSL clients. They can now make tax payments from the comfort of their homes or wherever they are at that particular time.
This platform can be used to make payments for both customs and in-land taxes. For customs payments, it means that after a client has made declarations at customs, they can go straight to M-Pesa and pay the tax.
To access these services, clients can dial *200#.
Speaking at the launch of the new system on Tuesday this week, RSL project manager Mokhethi Mabea said clients would now be able to make payments that have been correctly referenced and their ledger will be updated immediately.
Mabea indicated that when a client uses this platform, they will be able to see their receipt and decide whether to print it or not, without having to go to RSL to acquire the receipt.
“This implementation is in line with EAST model which the service provider adopted in 2018. The system allows easy, social, simple and attractive traders and individuals to pay their taxes. When companies make solutions – tax laws or all pillars to drive daily operations – they need to follow the EAST model.
“Your solutions as a service provider must be easy, attractive, simple and social. By social it means that when you develop your solutions you have to look at what it is that your clients are already used to.
“For instance, some tax payers are already familiar with making other payments via M-Pesa so, as a service provider you must develop your solutions around that,” he said.
Mabea noted that RSL knew that in order to achieve the EAST and comply with the tax laws, they had to merge and identify stakeholders who would link their service with theirs.
This initiative also aligns with RSL’s Lesotho tax modernisation project, whose goal is to ensure that all the services the organisation provides are available online.
For her part, VCLFS managing director Palesa Mphunyetsane said in March this year, the two companies formed their first partnership whereby all RSL business could be made online.
“However, that came with a lot of challenges as some of the clients were not familiar with online services and could not access them.
“So, with this new solution we believe we will be able to reach a wider section of the public with our one million plus M-Pesa clients,” she added.
