Harare City Council’s proposed budget of $340 million, a 28% increase from last year, can only be described as cruel and heartless.
NewsDay Comment
Residents of the capital are already suffering from deteriorating service delivery, erratic water supplies and a poor road network and we wonder how the city fathers can justify such an exorbitant increase.
The city council’s excuse is that it has not increased rates in the past five years. This could be either out of realisation that prices were going down across the board or that ratepayers could not pay and as it stands, neither has changed.
Zimstat recently said year-on-year inflation for the month of September had decreased by —3,11%, meaning most prices were going down and it is bewildering that the City of Harare should seek to go against the grain and increase rates by such a huge percentage.
Harare City Council should be reminded that we long ditched the Zimbabwe dollar era, where such increases were the norm and we are now using a strong currency, where in normal situations such rate increases are not only surprising, but should also be strongly resisted.
Councillors should understand that residents and companies are already struggling to pay the current bills and if rates are increased, then the municipality should brace for a higher default rate, which is not beneficial to anyone.
Contextually, the local authority must understand that thousands of people lost their jobs in recent months and will certainly be unable to pay increased rates, while companies are being forced to retrench because they face viability challenges.
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The situation is difficult for everyone and the local authority should not make it even harder.
We advise the council to be leaders with a heart, who are responsive to the difficulties most people are facing.
We understand that council needs money to implement its projects and improve service delivery, but there can be no justification for such an increase, it just does not make sense.
It is beyond doubt that most residents would not reject a nominal increase, but a whopping 28% adjustment should be resisted by ratepayers, who are already overburdened by a myriad of taxes.
Harare City Council should first tell us what they did with the revenue they collected in the past year before they justify the increase they are proposing.
As alluded to, water supplies are erratic, while refuse goes for weeks without being collected and the roads are in an advanced state of disrepair, so to the ordinary person, it may seem as if councillors want more money so they can lead opulent lifestyles while the rest of the city suffers.
For instance, it was recently reported that council bosses had hired VIP security guards for their homes at the expense of ratepayers and we wonder what other luxuries they would get if this 28% rates increase is approved.
Former town clerk Tendai Mahachi reportedly earned $37 000 a month, yet the average Zimbabwean earns $250 and this raises legitimate questions of why ratepayers should continue funding such opulence.
We urge Harare City Council to take a leaf from Bulawayo City Council, which has said it will not increase rates in the coming year.
We also advise them to appreciate the hardships that residents are facing and drop this proposed increase. Harare City Council’s proposed budget of $340 million, a 28% increase from last year, can only be described as cruel and heartless.
Residents of the capital are already suffering from deteriorating service delivery, erratic water supplies and a poor road network and we wonder how the city fathers can justify such an exorbitant increase. The city council’s excuse is that it has not increased rates in the past five years. This could be either out of realisation that prices were going down across the board or that ratepayers could not pay and as it stands, neither has changed.
Zimstat recently said year-on-year inflation for the month of September had decreased by —3,11%, meaning most prices were going down and it is bewildering that the City of Harare should seek to go against the grain and increase rates by such a huge percentage.
Harare City Council should be reminded that we long ditched the Zimbabwe dollar era, where such increases were the norm and we are now using a strong currency, where in normal situations such rate increases are not only surprising, but should also be strongly resisted.
Councillors should understand that residents and companies are already struggling to pay the current bills and if rates are increased, then the municipality should brace for a higher default rate, which is not beneficial to anyone.
Contextually, the local authority must understand that thousands of people lost their jobs in recent months and will certainly be unable to pay increased rates, while companies are being forced to retrench because they face viability challenges.
The situation is difficult for everyone and the local authority should not make it even harder.
We advise the council to be leaders with a heart, who are responsive to the difficulties most people are facing.
We understand that council needs money to implement its projects and improve service delivery, but there can be no justification for such an increase, it just does not make sense.
It is beyond doubt that most residents would not reject a nominal increase, but a whopping 28% adjustment should be resisted by ratepayers, who are already overburdened by a myriad of taxes.
Harare City Council should first tell us what they did with the revenue they collected in the past year before they justify the increase they are proposing.
As alluded to, water supplies are erratic, while refuse goes for weeks without being collected and the roads are in an advanced state of disrepair, so to the ordinary person, it may seem as if councillors want more money so they can lead opulent lifestyles while the rest of the city suffers.
For instance, it was recently reported that council bosses had hired VIP security guards for their homes at the expense of ratepayers and we wonder what other luxuries they would get if this 28% rates increase is approved.
Former town clerk Tendai Mahachi reportedly earned $37 000 a month, yet the average Zimbabwean earns $250 and this raises legitimate questions of why ratepayers should continue funding such opulence.
We urge Harare City Council to take a leaf from Bulawayo City Council, which has said it will not increase rates in the coming year.
We also advise them to appreciate the hardships that residents are facing and drop this proposed increase.
