MUBAS to offer postgraduate certificate in Taxation and Customs

Blantyre, August 7, Mana: Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) which will see the university offering a postgraduate certificate in Taxation and Customs come 2024.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, MRA’s Director General John Biziwick said the MoU would foster collaboration in the development and delivery of a training programme in Taxation and Customs that would culminate into the award of a certificate.

“Through this partnership, we will jointly develop the curriculum, provide training to qualifying candidates and also share training materials with a view to fully equip young Malawians in the field of taxation.

“Besides that, the MoU will enable students studying taxation to access MUBAS's training facilities and infrastructure so that they learn taxation in a very conducive environment and be experts in taxation which is a very complex and dynamic field,” he said.

Biziwick said through the MOU, the authority would be able to significantly reduce its training costs as only candidates with the requisite knowledge and skills would be considered for employment in MRA.

“In other words, through this MoU, we are creating a pool of technocrats from where only competent and skilled manpower in taxation will be drawn.

“When I say a pool of technocrats, I mean officers who will competently conduct inspection, tax assessment or conduct effective tax investigations. I also mean officers who have the requisite knowledge and skills in rules of origin, classification and valuation, among others,” he said.

The Director General added that the MoU has come at an opportune time when government was working towards reducing donor dependence and instead advocating for mobilization of domestic revenue as envisaged in the Domestic Revenue Mobilization Strategy 2021-2026.

“Therefore, I am very optimistic that through this MoU, the country will be producing technocrats in the field of taxation and in the process, beat the set revenue targets and enable the Government accomplish its development agenda,” Biziwick said.

MUBAS Vice Chancellor, Nancy Chitera described the programme as a very crucial and critical component and programme for the development of the nation and achieving of Malawi 2063.

“As a country, we are talking of more exporting of our products as we would want to build a nation that is self-reliant.

“We would want to build a nation that is more into industry. If you will see the Malawi 2063, there are issues of Industrialization and Urbanization. All these will involve importing and exporting of materials.

“As such, there are issues of taxation and customs that these employees, clearing agents and entrepreneurs need to be aware of,” she said.

Chitera added that the programme would help in the implementation of the country’s budget which runs on taxes.

“Our budget runs on the taxes and we need people that are well aware and familiar with issues of taxation because without proper procedures, processes and proper collection of these particular taxes then Malawi’s budget would have challenges to be implemented,” she pointed out.