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Harare Bureau
The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD), says Government must strengthen monitoring mechanisms to ensure measures put in place to address current challenges are implemented as noted in the 2018 National Budget.

“In the spirit of walking the talk as espoused in the national budget statement, the Government must strengthen monitoring mechanisms to ensure that measures put in place to address the current challenges are implemented,” said ZIMCODD

The organisation said that re-engagement with the international community and addressing the debt overhang must be premised on an independent debt audit to ascertain the legitimacy of the debt and the conditions and terms of re-engagement must be open to public debate. It further said the new economic order must fully outline how the proposed austerity measures will be balanced with commitments to pursuing people centred development.

On Public Enterprises and Local Authorities reforms, ZIMCODD said Government must strengthen corporate governance systems and implement recommendations from the Auditor General’s reports to curb mismanagement of public resources.

The Government must implement socially sensitive restructuring of parastatals.

The organisation said domestic resource mobilisation must be a priority and Government must decisively address the challenge of IFFs and work on adopting the recommendations made by the High Level Panel Report on IFFs in 2014.

“Support to provincial and metropolitan structures as provided in the constitution must be adhered to and resources should be availed to fund the structures.

“Small scale producers and the informal sector must be supported and protected from the vagaries of the market economy,” said ZIMCODD.

The organisation further said the retrogressive tax system, which overburdens the citizens must be addressed. Government must strengthen its capacity to collect taxes from corporates and from its non-tax revenue.

The alignment of the Public Finance Management Act, must be expedited and the oversight role of parliament strengthened in public finance management.
The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development, has been participating in the national budget consultative processes for the past three years and has received considerable recognition from a number of parliamentary portfolio committees during pre-budget consultative processes.

ZIMCODD facilitates the participation of its Social and Economic Justice Ambassadors (SEJAs) who represent the 82 institutional members of the coalition, livelihoods assemblies in the rural areas and the 11 sectors who form the coalition.