Tanzania's government has called on ministries, public institutions and agencies to improve their collection of non-tax revenue, saying many are missing opportunities to raise domestic funds for public services and development. The Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Nsubili Joshua, made the appeal at a meeting of accounting officers in Dodoma, saying that strengthening domestic revenue collection had become increasingly important as government spending needs continued to grow.
Data for the 2025/26 financial year showed that only five of 26 votes responsible for collecting non-tax revenue had performed well, according to Joshua. He told the assembled officers that each institution needed to assess its own performance, identify what was blocking revenue collection and put in place effective strategies to meet targets. Those collecting less than 50 per cent of their targets should develop specific measures to address the problems holding them back, he added.
Despite the underperformance across most institutions, non-tax revenue collections had recorded overall growth. Between July and September of the 2026/27 financial year, the government collected more than 1 trillion shillings, equivalent to 114.1 per cent of the target and a 32.7 per cent increase compared with the same quarter in 2025, according to figures provided by Joshua.
The government's budget has expanded significantly over the past five years. The budget rose by 50.3 per cent, from 41.5 trillion shillings in the 2022/23 financial year to 62.3 trillion shillings in 2026/27, the Ministry of Finance said. Joshua stressed that the Ministry would continue to support institutions in addressing systemic and operational challenges and urged them to implement resolutions from a technical experts' workshop held on 21-22 October 2026.
For ordinary Tanzanians, improved non-tax revenue collection means the government will have more domestic resources to fund infrastructure and social services without relying as heavily on borrowing or external funding.