BURS - COVID19 Tax Reliefs & Obligations during the LOCKDOWN

 

The Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) wishes to remind its valued clients that BURS has various electronic platforms or eservices available on the BURS website at www.burs.org.bw through which clients may continue to be facilitated. These services are particularly important during this period of extreme social distancing intended to combat COVID-19. As such, taxpayers are urged to continue utilizing these platforms for filing and payment of taxes due to ensure that they remain up-to-date with their obligations.

We note that during this period of lockdown, some taxpayers may be constrained to fulfil their obligationswhile others may require guidance on some of the reliefs announced by the Honourable Minister of Financeand Economic Development. In this regard the following arrangements are in place:

Extension of due dates for return filing and payments.

Suspension of collection of training levy collectable under the Vocational Training Levy Order No 101 of 2008All persons registered for VAT are informed that following the Government’s decision to suspend the charging oftraining levy for the period of April 2020 to September 2020 as part of the COVID-19 Tax Relief Measures, BURS will not collect Training Levy for VAT returns due and filed during this period. In this regard,

• Category A taxpayers: Training levy will not be collected for VAT returns due and filed in April,June and August 2020
• Category B taxpayers: Training levy will not be collected for VAT returns due and filed in May,July and September 2020
• Category C taxpayers: Training Levy will not be collected for VAT returns due and filed in April, May,June, July, August and September 2020

Deferment of self-assessment taxFollowing the pronouncement of deferral of self-assessment tax by the Honourable Minister of Finance and Economic Development, BURS is in the process of developing Guidelines to unpack the application of the relief. This is based on the premise that qualifying companies shall be required to pay at least 25% of their quarterly instalments and may defer 75% of their self-assessment tax quarterly instalments during any two-installment periods betweenMarch 2020 and September 2020. Once complete, guidelines will be made available on BURS facebook, BURSWebsite page and the Media. The deferred amount shall be due commencing March 2021.

For further enquires please contact the BURS Communications office on the following numbers:363 9708 / 363 9210 or email: comms@burs.org.bw