Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg underscored that stronger VAT collection was not punitive, but developmental.
He said the money went towards service delivery; built roads, funded schools, supported hospitals and improved the lives of Emaswati. He also called for businesses and the public sector to cooperate, noting that improved compliance directly translated into better public services.
The minister noted that technology was the strongest weapon against corruption, hence government was using technology and similar methods to prevent corruption before it happened.
Rijkenberg cited the introduction of tightly controlled government vehicles, which he said had already reduced fuel consumption by 40% as fuel theft was now almost impossible.
If corruption is left unattended and not tackled, he said they might end up filling prisons and costing the taxpayer even more money by looking after prisoners.
“One can criticise government in many fronts, but we wake up every day trying to improve the systems, trying to see what we can do to better service delivery.
“Where there is corruption and different elements even within government, there is constant work being done to eliminate that and to put processes in place to stop that. I believe that to sort out corruption in our country, we need to constantly find ways to prevent it from taking place.
“Constantly trying to catch corrupt people is time-consuming,” stated the minister.
He added that the Integrated Finance Management Information System (IFMIS) rollout ensured a transparent financial future. He said it was a paperless system that brought transparency and would stop any possible corruption within the financial sector.
The minister reaffirmed government’s commitment to continuously improve systems, close loopholes and ensure that public resources are protected.
He said the message was clear; stronger oversight, smarter systems and fair taxation laid the foundation for a more accountable, efficient and people-focused Eswatini.
With government implementing IFMIS, he said it was going to stop any possible corruption from taking place; people not processing paperwork, people taking their time to get something for it or claims that there is corruption taking place within the financial sector.
“IFMIS is now being installed. This budget is being done in IFMIS, a process which will make sure that the transparency it brings will stop any possible corruption that is happening within that sector,” further stated Rijkenberg.
