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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter

MEMBERS of the public yesterday implored Government to reduce the tax burden in the 2020 national budget and increase funding towards development.

Contributing during national budget consultation in Bulawayo  residents said Government should reduce taxation on citizens while widening alternative ways of generating revenue.

“If we look at the taxes there are just too many. Apart from the old taxes, we have the two percent tax I think it’s no longer serving its purpose. Businesses are now inflating their prices to cushion themselves against the two percent tax. The tax is now making the poor much poorer while the rich get richer. There is just over taxation. When I get paid I’m taxed, when I go to shops I get taxed. Government should consider coming up with other ways of financing its projects instead of heavily burdening us through taxation,” said one of the Bulawayo residents.

Another resident, Mrs Nobukhosi Nkomo said Government should work to reduce inflation which was making life increasingly difficult for ordinary people.

Another resident who only identified himself as Kenneth said institutions like Zesa were now robbing residents as they still demand full payment of bills for services they were not providing to fixed charge consumers.

“Hence, Government should come up with ways to ensure that people pay for service that they get as opposed to what is happening at the moment. We use fixed accounts and Zesa, fully knowing that it has imposed load shedding, is still demanding that we pay our bills in full,” he said.

Another contributor who did not identify himself said Government should stop being bookish with implementation of devolution of power.

“We have heard that Government is implementing devolution of power. But this is only happening through the Press. We have not seen much of it in communities. Can Government do tangible devolution that we can also relate to,” he said. 

Finance and Economic Development Parliamentary Portfolio Committee acting chairperson Mr Tose Sansole said the committee was impressed with the level of co-operation from Bulawayo. He said more people participated in the processes in Bulawayo as opposed to Plumtree where they had gone in the morning.

Mr Sansole said it was their duty to collect people’s views without actually responding to them.

“We will submit all the views to the Minister of Finance and Economic Development (Professor Mthuli Ncube) who is expected to plan his budget based on people’s submissions. A lot of issues have been raised by stakeholders in the past two days mostly to do with health. People are complaining that we are not honouring the Abuja declaration which states that 15 percent of the national budget should be channelled towards health. There are also concerns about the allocation to the education sector that it is inadequate,” said Mr Sansole.

“There has been issues to do with the 2 percent tax, the intermediated tax, that it has not served its intended purpose and secondly that there was no consultation when it was introduced.” — @nqotshili