Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Authority (ERCA) aims to open a laboratory which detects forged receipts by the coming year. Currently the Authority depends on the Federal Police Forensics to detect false receipts.

According to the Authority’s Director General, Beker Shale, rewarding people tipping the Authority on business owners failing to use proper receipts is helping the matter.

He added fake receipts cost ERCA millions in lost revenue and the new to be established laboratory will help end this problem.

In the just ended fiscal year, ERCA’s revenue rose by 22.6 percent when compared to its performance of the year previous to it. Nonetheless, the Authority missed its 3.5 Billion Birr target.

The total amount of tax collected during the 2013/2014 period is 97.8 Billion Birr while the aim of the Authority was 101.3 Million Birr, Beker said.

Non tax incomes and lottery income has also missed their target. ERCA managed to earn 1.8 Billion Birr from non tax incomes and 11.5 Million Birr from lottery income.

According to Capital, local income tax made up 55.5 percent of the Authority’s income while foreign trade tax registered 42.7 percent and non income tax brought 1.8 percent.

Source: Capital