The Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has asked Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to submit their tax returns in time as one way of promoting voluntary tax compliance.

Tax Payer Service Manager for MRA, Nancy Mwale was speaking recently after a workshop for Small and Medium Enterprises in Zomba.

Mwale said when SMEs do not submit their tax returns in time it becomes difficult for MRA to assess on how much they should pay as their tax.

“People just register their businesses without submitting their returns as a result they do not pay their taxes since they are not aware of how much they can pay.

“When they do not pay the law requires that they face penalties,” she said.

On his apart, one of the participants who is also the owner of Everson Garage, Fedson Everson Chikolongo commended MRA for such a workshop.

He appealed to MRA consider conducting more civic education on taxes so that people should know the implications of not remitting taxes.

“We are competing with businesses that their owners do not remit tax hence their prices are low compared to us that make our businesses to collapse,” he said.

Malawi Revenue Authority is conducting workshops with the aim of reminding people on submitting tax returns and hearing challenges that people face in the process of paying taxes.