Oromia State's Tax Revenues to Double Through Ethiotelecom Deal

Jun 24 , 2023

A new partnership with Ethio telecom is hoped to more than double revenues for the Oromia Regional State. The Oromia Regional Revenue Bureau partnered with Ethiopia's leading telecom provider, Ethiotelecom, leveraging the Telebirr digital platform. The Bureau aims to rake in tax revenues exponentially in the next fiscal year. The partnership is an ambitious undertaking that merges Ethiopia's push for digitisation with the country's expansive taxation agenda. According to Meskerem Debebe, head of the Oromia Regional Revenue Bureau, the objective is to accrue a formidable 130 billion Br in the next year, signalling a significant 55.3pc surge compared to previous collections. The Bureau's tax collection through the Telebirr platform has been off to a promising start since its launch in June this year. Within the first two weeks, it registered more than 39,251 transactions, cumulatively yielding over 44 million Br. Ethiotelecom's Chief Mobile Money Officer, Biruk Adhana, described the extent of the new tax collection infrastructure, which now seamlessly incorporates the Telebirre system. With this integration, 409 tax collection centres spanning across 23 towns, 42 districts, 21 zones, and 323 woredas have become part of this digital network. The system is not only intended for domestic taxation. Four customs revenue stations, in West Arsi (Shashemene), West Harergie (Bordade), East Harergie (Aweday, Babile, Dhegago, and Gursum), and South West Shewa (Teji), will also be utilizing the platform for more streamlined collection procedures.