Habaazoka on VAT winning over Sales Tax

THE past week I have been tagged in posts about the retention of VAT with people celebrating and shaming me and others that supported GST. This year I witnessed a lot of workshops sponsored by the private sector lobbying for VAT. “Experts” were paid huge sums of money to organize and lobby for VAT. In the beginning, we expressed concern over the rate of GST and GRZ succumbed and put it about 5%. To citizens that are celebrating, find time to sit down with BOZ, ZRA and learn about the huge irregular VAT refunds. Sit down and look at the benefits of having a mining industry. It’s not that we own the mines or the country alone. It’s coowned by everyone. With a faulty consumption tax system, we can kiss good bye to lower pay as you earn. The workers shall forever pay the highest taxes because workers have no capital allowances, no deductions on household expenditure or VAT refunds. When you laugh at others, you laugh at yourselves because Business funded your own citizens put push a strong voice against GST and eventually mislead you! Just notice how certain consultants were so emotional and hardly fought GST but these people don’t even own a single company!!!! We are very good at failing our own country. It’s not that we were going to be exempted from paying GST. I have been to India and the USA this year and I haven’t seen any cascading effect in their economies. Every time you see copper trucks going out, just know that you continue being milked. These guys all of a sudden have low grade copper and don’t even want to talk about cobalt. When we speak for you, you call us all sorts of names. Don’t come back to us when your mines are dry for more ways of diversifying the economy. You have missed your chance now!!! The rescinding of GST decision is because of citizens pressure and pressure from businesses. When your tax authority tells you that something is wrong and you opt to think you are more knowledgeable, something is very wrong. Sit down with us people who are in economic advocacy. We shall show you how lobbying in Zambia is very much advanced. The first bribe given to Zambians is given to intellectuals in form of consultancy. After chewing consultancy money, the voice from the consultant will go flat out in support of certain interests. Ask my friend Mwamba Peni. He knows better Indeed it’s Business 10 - Zambia 0 LUBINDA HABAAZOKA