UPPZ URGES EFFECTIVE REVENUE COLLECTION STRATEGY
GOVERNMENT must seriously work on having an effective revenue collection strategy in place to ensure sufficient cash is available to pay operational costs, says United Prosperous and Peaceful Zambia leader Charles Chanda.
Mr Chanda called for an annual review of all points of revenue collection as well as policies and
Mr Chanda said attracting more tax was essential to improving the infrastructure, push back on global warming, fighting poverty and inequality as well as improving health and retirement security.
Widening of tax base, he said, meant covering maximum people under tax net, adding this would require Zambia to widen the tax net for the development of the country.
“Widening of tax base has two aspects in its fold. It can fetch maximum revenue for the government for its expenditure. Government can consider lowering of tax rate on collection of higher revenue due to widening of tax,” he said.
Mr Chanda said it was time Zambia found solutions to maximise the tax base which he stated was the most important source of government revenue to improve the economy.
“The concept of taxation is important to businesses because governments can fund this money back into the economy in the form of loans or other funding forms, and help raise the standard of living in a country. The higher the standard of living, the stronger and higher the levels of consumption.”
He said it was imperative that people that were given the responsibility to head the collection of taxes were competent and had full understanding as to why tax collection was of great importance to the entire economy.
And Mr Chanda has advised various stakeholders including politicians not to celebrate challenges facing the country, but that they should make themselves available to help build the country for the benefit of the citizenry.
“There is so much talk about the state of the economy and just how much it is hurting citizens. If not careful it will cause most political players to engage in campaign gear as some might be celebrating that the ruling party has failed while the ruling party in its defensive approach might engage in the firefighting technics to lessen the unpopularity stream, which should not be the.
“I know many of my colleagues especially in the opposition might want to restrain me from advising so that we see government sink further and further into the mud. But the big question is who is feeling the greatest impact? Is it not the same people we all want to be President over in the future?” Mr Chanda said.