CIVIL Society Organisations (CSOs) have expressed concern about government's 2025 proposed taxes that overtaxing citizens already under siege from life’s intractable challenges was criminally heartless.
Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion minister Mthuli Ncube presented a ZiG276,4 billion 2025 national budget.
To enhance revenue collection, Ncube announced a cocktail of new taxes effective January 1, 2025, on fast foods, plastic bags, betting and rental income.
In its analysis of the budget, liberal think-tank Coalition for Market and Liberal Solutions (Comaliso) took a dig at Ncube saying intelligent finance ministers focus on widening the tax base by formulating free market policies that trigger rapid industrialisation and job creation.
“We acknowledge Ncube’s noble intentions to build resilience for sustained economic transformation, but Comaliso insists our government must revisit its expenditure priorities to lessen fiscal responsibility.
“Overtaxing citizens already under siege from life’s intractable challenges is not only unconstitutional but also criminally heartless. We also believe the second republic has repeatedly misallocated scarce national resources, prioritising political branding over policies that genuinely promote economic growth. What is going to be taxed next, roast maize? Millions of US dollars are haemorrhaged through corruption,” it said.
Social justice watchdog, the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd) in its budget analysis said taxing and overtaxing an unemployed population was a social and economic injustice.
“Equally, it is silent injustice to overtax the few taxable population groups. Domestic resource mobilisation approaches must broaden beyond taxing individual citizens," Zimcodd said.
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“Consequently, there is a need to increase spending on the social sectors to cushion the vulnerable groups as the nation expedites its reform agenda outlined under the Structured Dialogue Platform for the Arrears Clearance and Debt Resolution Process.
“Industrialisation and employment creation must be at the centre of the national development agenda and the national budget must reflect this as a priority."
