VAT registered businesses throughout Ethiopia are going to start using cash register machines like those in Addis Ababa.

Officials in the Tigray Regional State started this week enforcing the use of cash registration machines the Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Authority (ERCA) said. The Amhara, Oromia and SNNP regional states are preparing to begin using the system.

The first level regional Value Added Tax (VAT) registered companies have already begun using the cash register machines, Teodros Tesfa, Data and Risk Management Director of the authority said.

Currently, 20,000 businesses are using the cash registration machine and the government is planning to raise the number of users to 100,000 by the end of the current fiscal year.

Teodros said that all regions of the country would start using the sales register machine this fiscal year.Out of the over 30,000 registered businesses in Addis Ababa so far 26,000 have started using the machine.

The online cash register machine was introduced in 2008 to tax payers who are registered as federal tax payers while the number of businesses that use the machine have increased over the last two years.

Petram Plc was the only authorized importer of the machine when the regulation went into effect. The authority has now authorised Addis Home Depot Plc, Ambasel Trading Plc, Jupiter Trading Plc, Haron Computer Plc, I-POS International Trading Plc, Merchandise Wholesale & Import Trade Enterprise (MWITE), Omedad Plc and Petram Plc to import and supply the machines.

Source: Capital