Zambia Revenue Authority expands digital tax payments, covering gambling levies
ZRA introduces multiple official digital channels, making it easier for taxpayers and gambling operators to pay excise duties and presumptive gaming taxes.
Zambia.- The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) is stepping up its push for digital tax payments, urging all taxpayers, including those in the booming gambling sector, to embrace official electronic platforms. This includes excise duties on betting stakes and presumptive gaming taxes, alongside broader obligations such as personal income tax, corporate VAT and customs duties.
In a recent awareness drive, ZRA highlighted a range of digital payment methods designed to make compliance faster, safer and more convenient. These include mobile money services, TaxOnPhone (USSD), TaxOnApp, online banking, WhatsApp payments, the ZRA Portal (TaxOnline), point-of-sale terminals at ZRA offices and traditional bank walk-ins. The initiative is part of Zambia’s broader effort to modernise tax administration and reduce reliance on cash.
While gambling taxes have recently drawn the spotlight, ZRA stresses that these tools are for all taxpayers. The ZRA said: “Access ZRA services with ease. Use TaxOnline, TaxOnApp or TaxOnPhone to meet your tax obligations. These platforms provide secure and simple ways to pay, file returns and interact with ZRA without needing to visit an office in person.”
Gambling tax made digital
In October 2025, Zambia introduced a 10 per cent excise duty on betting stakes under the Customs and Excise Amendment Act of 2025. Licensed operators remit the tax monthly, and the Constitutional Court has upheld the levy despite industry challenges. ZRA maintains that the measure is lawful and designed to ensure fair and consistent tax compliance across the gambling sector.
By promoting these digital channels, ZRA is making it easier for everyone, from ordinary taxpayers to licensed gambling operators, to meet their obligations without long queues or handling cash. The Authority’s message is clear: these tools are not limited to gambling. They are for all Zambians, helping make tax payments simpler, safer and more transparent.
While the 10 per cent excise duty is primarily collected from operators rather than individual bettors, it highlights Zambia’s commitment to enforcing tax compliance across all industries, including the rapidly growing gambling sector.
