Amutenya Presses Finance Minister on Delays in Digitalising PAYE 5 Certificates
SWAPO Member of Parliament Honourable Willem Amutenya called on the government to accelerate the digitalisation of Pay as You Earn (PAYE 5) certificates. He argued that the ongoing reliance on printed documents directly contradicts Namibia’s commitment to digital transformation.
Raising the issue during a parliamentary question-and-answer session, Amutenya asked Honourable Ericah Shafudah if the Ministry of Finance had conducted a cost-benefit assessment regarding the maintenance of this paper-based system, especially given the government’s ongoing fiscal constraints.
He pointed out that civil servants are still required to obtain printed PAYE certificates, which are often issued on costly coloured paper. Employees must secure these physical documents for the purpose of filing annual income tax returns before eventually uploading them to the Namibia Revenue Agency (NAMRA) online platform.
Amutenya further sought clarity on exactly when the Ministry intends to fully digitalise both the issuance and submission of PAYE certificates, which would allow taxpayers to access and submit these documents electronically without any need for printing.
Responding to the queries, Shafudah acknowledged that the government’s tax administration and accounting systems are not yet fully integrated to support the automatic, electronic exchange of information.
She stated that the government remains committed to digital transformation and described the PAYE certificate as a critical document, noting that it reflects the exact amount of tax deducted from an employee’s salary and paid to the receiver of revenue during the tax year.
The Minister noted that a digital option does partially exist, as taxpayers can already request their PAYE certificates electronically via email from the relevant government office. They can then use that emailed document to submit their tax returns through the NAMRA online system.
However, she pointed out that some taxpayers still prefer printed documents. She compared this preference to Parliament’s own continued use of printed budget documents, despite digital alternatives being readily available.
While she agreed that further digitalisation is necessary, Shafudah did not provide a specific timeline for when the government expects to fully digitise the issuance and submission of PAYE 5 certificates.
