By Imran Jumbe

Over the past five years, the government of has dramatically increased tax and revenue collection through the (MRA).

Official figures indicate that revenue collection has grown from approximately MK1.04 trillion in 2020/21 to over MK3.06 trillion in 2024/25 — nearly three times higher within just five years. And notably, this happened even before the full implementation of the Electronic Invoicing System (EIS).

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These are not small numbers. This money comes directly from ordinary Malawians: market vendors struggling to survive, minibus operators battling rising fuel prices, small businesses operating under unbearable pressure, salaried workers already crushed by inflation, and young entrepreneurs trying to build something in a collapsing economy.

The painful question ordinary citizens are now asking is simple:

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If government is collecting more money than ever before, why are citizens becoming poorer instead of better off?

Because the reality on the ground tells a completely different story.

For many families, life has not improved. It has become more difficult than ever.

Food prices continue rising every month while household incomes remain stagnant. Essential commodities have become luxuries for many homes. Some families are now forced to skip meals just to survive.

Youth unemployment remains dangerously high. Thousands of graduates leave universities every year only to face closed doors and empty promises. Small businesses are collapsing under economic pressure, while many entrepreneurs are abandoning their dreams because operating costs have become unbearable.

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Meanwhile, public services remain weak. Hospitals continue facing shortages of medicine. Roads remain in poor condition. Electricity supply remains unreliable. Water problems persist in many communities. Yet citizens are continuously told to pay more taxes, more fees, and now comply with additional systems such as the Electronic Invoicing System.

The concern many Malawians have about EIS is not necessarily opposition to modernization.

Modern systems can improve transparency and efficiency. No reasonable citizen is against accountability.

But citizens are asking a legitimate question:

Where is the impact of the money already being collected?

Before introducing stricter compliance mechanisms and tighter monitoring systems for businesses, government must first demonstrate that existing revenues are translating into visible improvements in the lives of ordinary people.

Because taxation without visible development creates frustration, anger, and loss of trust.

Small and medium enterprises are already struggling to survive in an extremely fragile economic environment. Increasing compliance pressure without improving the business climate risks discouraging investment, slowing growth, and weakening confidence in the economy.

Malawi desperately needs investors. It needs factories. It needs industries. It needs job creation, tourism growth, agricultural expansion, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Economic growth does not happen through fear and overregulation. It happens when businesses feel supported, protected, and trusted.

A healthy economy depends on cooperation between government, businesses, and citizens — not hostility.

When revenue collection rises from MK1 trillion to over MK3 trillion in just five years, citizens naturally expect to see transformational development:

• Better hospitals
• Better schools
• Reliable electricity
• Improved roads
• More employment opportunities
• Affordable living conditions
• Stronger social protection systems

Instead, many citizens feel abandoned.

Even beyond Malawi’s borders, the suffering continues. Many Malawians are risking their lives abroad searching for opportunities they cannot find at home. In countries like , some have faced xenophobic violence while working difficult jobs simply to support families back home.

This is not because Malawians enjoy leaving their country.

It is because poverty and unemployment are forcing them to.

The real issue today is not whether taxes should exist. Every functioning country requires taxes to operate.

The deeper issue is accountability.

Citizens are sacrificing every day through taxes, rising prices, and economic hardship, yet they are not genuinely experiencing the benefits of those sacrifices.

People are tired of hearing about billions being collected while corruption scandals continue dominating headlines and public resources appear to benefit only a connected few.

A government that asks citizens for greater compliance must also provide greater transparency, greater responsibility, and greater results.

Malawians are not demanding miracles.

They are demanding fairness.

They are demanding leadership that prioritizes citizens over politics.

They are demanding an economy that works for ordinary people — not only for elites.

Until citizens begin seeing meaningful improvements in their daily lives, many will continue questioning whether increasing taxation and expanding systems like EIS truly serve national development or merely deepen the burden on already struggling people.

Because at the end of the day, numbers on government reports mean very little when ordinary citizens still go to bed hungry.

And no economy can succeed when its people lose hope.

My pen remains mightier than the sword.