Justify levies, councils challenged
LOCAL authorities should justify levies on petroleum transporters when they are not providing any other service such as park yards, 3RD Liberation Movement (3RD LM) president Enock Tonga has said.
Local authorities and the Transporters Association of Zambia (PTAZ) are locked in a disagreement over the councils’ move to start levying petroleum transporters who are importing Government fuel into the country.
PTAZ has stated matter-of-factly that they will not pay these levies because they were already over-levied and are questioning what they levy was about when the councils provided no services to them such as parking space and security when and if drivers opted to spend nights in districts.
The association says its tanker drivers will only pay these levies if the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) will review the margins, a development it says will trigger another fuel increase.
The association says councils were at liberty to impound their tankers and create a fuel shortage in the country because its drivers will not be compelled to pay by anyone.
But speaking to the Daily Nation yesterday, Mr. Tonga said local authorities must rethink the decision because either of the options provided by PTAZ will hit the fuel sub-sector hard hence the need to find common ground to resolve the matter.
He said in as much as local authorities wanted to generate revenue at all costs for them to continue running, they must realise that their actions may plunge the economy into problems.
He said if they wanted to generate money, local authorities must provide park yards and security where drivers could park.
He said paying levies on account of transiting districts made no sense and that an amicable solution must be brokered before the difference created problems on the movement of fuel into the country.
“We have no problem with local authorities making money. We know that they are struggling and must find income-generating ventures but petroleum transporters will shut the sector if pushed to the limits.