DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – In a significant move to support business growth and address challenges facing informal traders, Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) Commissioner General Yusuph Juma Mwenda has launched a special Business Facilitation Desk aimed at bringing services closer to entrepreneurs.
The launch ceremony, held on September 27, 2025, at Mnazi Mmoja grounds in Dar es Salaam, marks a strategic shift in TRA’s approach to engaging with the business community, particularly those in the informal sector who often face challenges in understanding and complying with tax regulations.
“This desk will serve as a platform to listen to business owners and help resolve their issues,” stated Mr. Mwenda during the launch event. He emphasized that many entrepreneurs face tax-related challenges without knowing where to seek solutions, and the new facility aims to bridge this gap.
The initiative received strong governmental support, with Ilala District Commissioner Edward Mpogolo, representing Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Edward Chalamila, highlighting the desk’s potential economic impact. “We commend TRA for this important step of bringing services closer to business owners,” Mpogolo stated. “This desk will enable small entrepreneurs to grow into medium-sized ones, and medium-sized entrepreneurs to become large-scale. This is a way to increase employment and income for citizens.”
The Business Facilitation Desk represents part of a broader national rollout, with TRA having established 200 such desks across all regions of Tanzania as of August 2025. These facilities are designed not for tax collection but rather to provide guidance, education, and support services to help businesses formalize and grow.
Business owners present at the launch expressed appreciation for the initiative, noting that it would provide solutions to many of their operational challenges. The desks will offer services including tax law education, entrepreneurship guidance, licensing assistance, and a platform for traders to voice their concerns.
The initiative aligns with President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s directive to strengthen Tanzania’s business sector and represents TRA’s evolving approach under Commissioner General Mwenda’s leadership, which emphasizes taxpayer education and collaboration rather than purely enforcement-driven strategies.
