ZAMBIA Revenue Authority (ZRA) corporate communications manager Topsy Sikalinda says the authority is NOT refunding the whole lot of the tithe Christians pay at their respective churches but a smaller percentage.

Responding to a story which appeared in last week’s edition of The Church Newspaper, Mr Sikalinda clarified that the claim in question is not really a tithe refund but a refund of on tithe that was taxed.

“To start with, the claim is not tithe refund but refund of on tithe that was taxed. These two are very different. Tithe refund would mean if you paid K100 tithe then you get it back from ZRA. But this is not the case,” explained Mr Sikalinda.
He added: “Refund on taxed tithe means tithe is paid on gross and tax (PAYE) is taxed on gross as well. This means refund on taxed tithe is the tax that was taxed since the tithe was part of the gross.”
Asked why ZRA was awarding Christians with the refunds since tithe is willingly given to God and not government, Mr Sikalinda stated that this was because both tithe and tax which a Christian gives to God and the state respectively serve almost the same purpose.
“The idea of refunding is because taxes are meant for public good while tithe is meant for public benefit hence serving a similar need,” he explained.
Further asked how many Zambians had so far claimed tithe refund, Mr Sikalinda responded that ZRA is by law not allowed to release such information in the public domain.
And Mr Sikalinda also added that there were some conditions attached for one to access the refund.
“For you to refunded you require a TPIN, tithe receipts and the church must be registered as a public benefit organization by both the registrar of societies and ZRA. It must also be tax compliant,” he said.
stered as a public benefit organization by both the registrar of societies and ZRA. It must also be tax compliant,” he said.