Journalists urged to disseminate accurate information on property owners’ rental tax measures

The Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has urged journalists to help disseminate accurate information on property owners’ rental tax measures to avoid confusion and ensure compliance.

The appeal was made during a day-long media training session for Blantyre-based journalists held in Blantyre on Tuesday.

Speaking during the training, MRA spokesperson Wilma Chalulu said the authority had noted widespread misinformation and disinformation among the public regarding the rental tax measures, which are set to be rolled out this month.

“As MRA, we want to ensure that this exercise runs as smoothly as possible, hence the need to engage journalists to help us disseminate accurate information about the programme,” she said.

Chalulu disclosed that the authority has recruited 100 data collection officers on a temporary basis to begin the exercise this month by identifying landlords.

“We will start with low-density areas before moving to high-density areas,” she said.

She dismissed fears that the exercise would lead to increased rental charges, saying advocacy and public awareness would be key to the smooth implementation of the programme.

Chalulu added that the rental tax programme has been in existence for years but has been implemented on a limited scale.

“Over the years, we have records of property owners who have been remitting rental taxes to us, but the numbers have been very low, hence the need to scale up,” she said.

According to Chalulu, the rental tax measures will be implemented in line with existing laws of Malawi.

In a separate interview, Africa Brief journalist Mayamiko Phiri commended MRA for equipping journalists with information on the rental tax measures.

Phiri said journalists have a responsibility to help the authority share accurate information with the public to prevent confusion.

“As a journalist, I have been well equipped with accurate information regarding this exercise and will ensure that I disseminate it correctly. In the first place, I was not aware of these rental tax measures,” he said.

The training covered topics such as the Electronic Invoicing System (EIS), rental income, and mid-year tax measures, among others.