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Smile Tax & Accounting Advisory (“STAA”, “we”, “us”) respects your privacy. This policy explains how we handle personal data when you visit staa.co.tz, contact us, or become a client. We process personal data in line with the Personal Data Protection Act, 2022 of Tanzania and its regulations, and with professional confidentiality obligations that apply to tax and accounting advisers.
1. Who we are
STAA is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.
- Name: Smile Tax & Accounting Advisory
- Address: Goba Centre, P.O. Box 66678, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Email: info@staa.co.tz
- Phone: +255 717 402 578
- PDPC registration no.: [REPLACE with your Personal Data Protection Commission registration number]
2. Personal data we collect
When you contact us
Through our contact form, email, phone or WhatsApp we collect your name, email address, phone number, organisation, the service you’re interested in and anything you include in your message.
When you become a client
To deliver tax, accounting and advisory services we may collect identification details (such as TIN, NIDA or passport numbers), business registration documents, financial records, payroll and employee information, bank details and correspondence with authorities such as the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA). These details are covered by our engagement letter as well as this policy.
When you browse our website
Our website does not use analytics or advertising cookies. Like any website, our hosting provider automatically records technical data such as your IP address, browser type and the pages requested, for security and to keep the site running. If you choose to view our Google map, Google may collect data as described in section 9.
When you use the STAA Assistant
The chat assistant answers common questions from information on this website. Your conversation is kept in your browser only until you close the tab. When AI answers are switched on, your questions are sent to our AI provider, Anthropic, to generate a reply, and are not used to train its models. Please don’t share personal or financial details in the chat. If you choose Continue on WhatsApp, your question is passed to WhatsApp so you can send it to us.
3. How we use your data
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Responding to your enquiry and arranging consultations | Your request / steps before entering a contract |
| Delivering the services in your engagement, including filings with TRA and other authorities | Performance of a contract |
| Keeping accounting and tax records, and carrying out client due-diligence checks | Legal obligation |
| Sending tax updates and insights you have asked for | Consent, which you can withdraw at any time |
| Keeping our website secure and working properly | Legitimate interests |
| Showing the embedded Google map | Consent, given through our cookie banner |
We do not sell your personal data or use it for automated decision-making.
4. Who we share it with
We share personal data only where needed:
- Government authorities such as TRA, BRELA and regulators, when we act on your instructions or the law requires it.
- Service providers that support our work, such as email and hosting providers, accounting software, our website form service and, if AI answers are switched on, the AI provider behind our chat assistant. They may use the data only on our instructions.
- Professional advisers such as lawyers and auditors, who are bound by confidentiality.
- Law enforcement or courts, where we are legally required to disclose information.
5. Transfers outside Tanzania
Some of our service providers, including Google and our email provider, store data outside Tanzania. Where this happens we rely on the safeguards permitted under the Personal Data Protection Act, such as contractual protections, and we transfer only what is necessary.
6. How long we keep your data
- Enquiries that don’t lead to an engagement: up to [12 months] after our last contact.
- Client records: for as long as the engagement lasts, then for the period required by Tanzanian tax and accounting law (generally at least [5 years]).
- Your cookie choice: stored in your browser for 12 months, after which we ask again.
7. How we protect it
We use access controls, secure storage and confidentiality commitments from our staff to protect your data. No system is completely secure. If a breach is likely to put your rights at risk, we will notify you and the Personal Data Protection Commission as the law requires.
8. Your rights
Under the Personal Data Protection Act you have the right to:
- be told how your data is used, and get a copy of it;
- have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected;
- ask us to delete data we no longer need or have no legal basis to keep;
- object to processing, including for direct marketing;
- withdraw consent at any time, without affecting earlier processing;
- complain to the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC).
To use any of these rights, email info@staa.co.tz. We may ask you to confirm your identity, and we will reply within the time the law allows.
9. Cookies and similar technologies
Cookies are small files a website stores on your device. When you first visit, we ask which optional content you allow. You can change your choice at any time:
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
staa-consent | STAA | Remembers your cookie choices so we don’t ask on every page. It is stored in your browser and never sent to us. | Strictly necessary | 12 months |
staa-assistant | STAA | Keeps your chat with the STAA Assistant while you move between pages. Stored in your browser only. | Strictly necessary | Until you close the tab |
Google Maps cookies (e.g. NID) | Shows our location on the contact page. Google may use these cookies to remember preferences and measure usage. | Third-party content, optional | Up to 6 months |
The Google map loads only after you allow it, either in the cookie banner or by choosing Show map on the contact page. Our pages use fonts from Google Fonts, which receives your IP address but does not set cookies. Our WhatsApp button only opens WhatsApp when you click it, and from then on WhatsApp’s privacy policy applies. To learn how Google uses data, see Google’s privacy policy.
You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page, with the date it was last updated at the top.
11. Contact us
For questions about this policy or your personal data, contact us at info@staa.co.tz, call +255 717 402 578, or write to P.O. Box 66678, Dar es Salaam.