The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) has shattered its half-year revenue target, collecting USD 4.71 billion in the first half of 2026, a massive 16.14 (%) percent surplus above its USD 4.05 billion goal.
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Read E-PaperThe staggering haul represents a 46.73% surge compared to the same period in 2025, cementing a robust fiscal performance driven largely by corporate tax and import duties.
In his H1 2026 report, ZIMRA Board Chair Antony Mandiwanza attributed the windfall to aggressive digitalisation and trade facilitation.
“ZIMRA delivered strong H1 2026 performance, collecting USD 4.71 billion – 16.14% above target and 46.73% higher than H1 2025,” said Mandiwanza.
The revenue head contribution was led by Corporate Income Tax, which outperformed its target by a blistering 47.77%, followed by VAT on Imports (+41.20%), Mining Royalties (+30.25%), Net Customs Duty (+26.93%) and Net VAT on Local Sales (+22.03%).
The top four contributors are PAYE (18%), Corporate Income Tax (15%), VAT on Local Sales (14%), and VAT on Imports (13%) accounted for 60% of the total revenue pie.
Tax base expansion also yielded fruit, with 37,783 new taxpayers registered, including 2,056 PAYE and 955 VAT registrants.
The authority’s technological overhaul is nearly complete, with the Tax and Revenue Management System (TaRMS) at 98% completion and the Fiscalisation Data Management System at 99%, fully integrated.
This drove the onboarding of 22,679 taxpayers, a 92% national onboarding rate and the processing of 20.4 million fiscal invoices.
Operational efficiency at the borders also improved, with 98.93% of Bills of Entry registered and an average clearance time of 2 hours 11 minutes for local Bills of Entry.
Mandiwanza credited the digital shift for this dual success.
“Progress in digitalisation, trade facilitation and border controls strengthened service delivery and compliance,” he said.
However, the authority faces headwinds, including refunds paid out totaling ZWG 7.48 billion (5.64% of gross collections) and a cumulative debt stock of ZWG 9.47 billion (US$1.26 million). Compliance remains a mixed bag, with 98.1% filing compliance for Large Client Office (LCO) taxpayers but only 92.0% for Medium Client Office (MCO) taxpayers.
Looking ahead, ZIMRA is targeting US$5.65 billion in H2 2026, a projected 19.88% growth over H1.
Mandiwanza said that sustaining this momentum is the board’s primary focus.
“The Board’s H2 priority is to sustain revenue growth, manage emerging risks and deepen trusted, innovative and service-centred administration,” he said.
The authority warned of risks including global trade uncertainties, geopolitical tensions, and commodity price volatility, but remains bullish on its compliance enforcement strategy, which drove 78.2% of excess collections through visibility, execution, and debt control.
