AI Helps Tanzania Optimise Inspections and Enforcement

According to local press, the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) has successfully raised the level of compliance in the market of excisable goods subject to tax stamps, thanks, in large part, to the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

The technology, which has been in place for over a year, has enabled the TRA to gain market intelligence and address areas at risk of non-compliance.

‘We appreciate this technology, which has replaced the traditional methods of tracking fake stamps. With AI, we can now trace the business owner using counterfeit stamps in real time,’ said Abyud Tweve, Project Manager for TRA’s tax stamp system, known as ETS (Electronic Tax Stamp).

Tanzanian law requires distributors and wholesalers of goods carrying tax stamps (currently tobacco products, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, multimedia items, and cement) to scan and validate the stamps when receiving and selling those goods.

Meanwhile, retailers, including roadside vendors, are expected to ensure their merchandise bears valid stamps, and risk receiving a penalty if caught with unstamped or wrongly stamped goods.