Zimbabweans Fume As ZIMRA Announces Monthly Tax Clearances
A wave of frustration is sweeping through Zimbabwe’s business community following a seismic policy change from the tax authority. The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) has announced that, effective December 27th, 2025, the Tax Clearance Certificate (ITF263) will be valid for only one month.
This move, shifting from longer-term certificates to a system of automated monthly checks, has sparked a backlash online. Business owners and experts are labelling it a "crushing administrative burden" that threatens the very survival of formal businesses.
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| The new system creates a perpetual probation period for businesses |
Enormous Burden
The core complaint centres on the overwhelming paperwork. Companies must now obtain and verify new tax clearances from every single supplier each month.
“Requiring us to collect, verify, and file hundreds of clearances every month for every single supplier being paid, is an enormous administrative burden… in fact, it is a full-time job on its own,” said one exasperated business owner.
Many questioned why compliant taxpayers were being penalised with more work instead of the authority focusing on those evading taxes.
Threat to Survival
Beyond the paperwork, the financial implications are causing panic. Under the law, any payment to a supplier without a valid ITF263 requires the payer to withhold 30% of the invoice value.
“For many businesses, this 30% represents their entire profit margin, meaning a lapse in clearance could cause a severe cash flow crisis.”
With certificates expiring every 30 days, a single missed deadline or system glitch could instantly slash a company’s revenue, potentially crippling operations.
National Goals Conflict
The overarching criticism is that this move fundamentally sabotages the government’s stated goal of improving the “ease of doing business.”
“I don't think monthly tax clearances is in line with ease of doing business,” was a unanimous sentiment among critics. Commenters described the policy as “unilateral” and evidence of a mindset that treats entrepreneurs “as if they are criminals instead of partners in nation building.”
Technical Doubts
Scepticism about ZIMRA’s technical capacity to handle the new monthly volume is widespread.
“I hope this works because your system is known to crash.”
Business owners fear that a system error on ZIMRA’s end could wrongly label them non-compliant, causing an immediate and unjust halt to their operations by blocking their clearance certificate.
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