Small-scale traders in Limbe, Blantyre yesterday staged a furious protest against the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), accusing the tax body of harassment, punitive policies, and crushing businesses with the new Electronic Invoicing System (EIS). At least 400 business owners, dressed in black and carrying placards, marched from Independence Drive to MRA’s Msonkho House, flanked by over 35 police officers. One placard captured their frustration perfectly:“MRA, ine osaka, iwe odyera?”– translated as“I work so that you can eat?”.
Other signs highlighted the devastating foreign exchange challenges strangling traders’ operations. The traders presented a petition to MRA, detailing what they described as invasive questioning about their capital, stock, and business operations. They claimed the EIS will require them to declare all goods for tracking, a move they say will suffocate already struggling businesses.
“We are barely surviving after the recent fuel price hikes and devaluation of the kwacha. Introducing this system now will finish us,” the petition reads. Chisomo Rodger, Secretary General of the Limbe Local Shop Owners Association, blasted the system as unfair.
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“Most of our small-scale traders do not even use electronic fiscal devices. We already pay import duty and other taxes. Why is MRA punishing us with this new system?” she asked.
MRA Commissioner for Domestic Taxes, Gray Balawe, said the authority would review the traders’ concerns internally and provide feedback, but offered no concrete concessions. Meanwhile, traders in Lilongwe are reportedly planning to close their shops and march to MRA offices today, signaling that this protest is far from over. Some experts have downplayed the traders’ anger.
Emmanuel Kaluluma, a senior tax consultant with EK Tax Consulting, said the EIS is designed to ensure the correct amount of taxes is paid, without overcharging or undercharging. He described the fear as “unnecessary.” But for the traders on the ground, this explanation falls flat. They see the EIS not as a tool for fairness, but as another way for authorities to monitor, control, and profit from them while leaving them to bear skyrocketing costs and forex shortages.
The message from Limbe is clear: small businesses are fed up with policies that appear to benefit the state more than the people who actually generate the wealth. For many, yesterday’s march was just the beginning of a fight to survive under what they call a punitive and heavy-handed revenue system.
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