The Tanzanian government has begun using mobile phones to accept tax payments and motor vehicle licensing fees. According to IT News Africa, the Tanzania Revenue Authority announced last Friday that it had collected about $2.5 million since it launched the service about three weeks ago. That's about 50 percent more than comparable periods without the system.

Payments are made by SMS, across three telcos. The ability to collect taxes and enable mobile money's success is a key goal of the east African nation, the newspaper said.

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