- Two-thirds (65%) of Tanzanians say it is “difficult” or “very difficult” to find out which taxes and fees they are supposed to pay to the government (Figure 1).
- Even more (70%) report it is difficult to find out how the government uses the tax revenues it collects (Figure 2).
- Tanzanians are evenly divided in their assessments of how often people avoid paying taxes they owe the government, with almost half (46%) saying “often” or “always” and the same proportion (46%) seeing it as a rare occurrence (Figure 3).
- Views are sharply divided on whether it is better to pay higher taxes if it means the government will provide more services (supported by 46% of citizens) or to pay lower taxes and get fewer government services (preferred by 49%) (Figure 4).
A majority of Tanzanians say it is difficult to find out which taxes and fees they are supposed to pay and how the government uses the tax revenues it collects, according to the latest Afrobarometer survey.
Almost half of citizens think that Tanzanians frequently avoid paying the taxes that they owe the state.
The government is making efforts to mobilise more domestic revenues, including the recent introduction of a tax on mobile-money transactions intended to finance improvements in the delivery of social services. Citizens are about evenly divided on the question of which is preferable – higher taxes with more government services or lower taxes with fewer services.
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