Focus on cost of doing business
EDITOR — The assurance from Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa that Government will not foolishly print bond notes is needed in the economy.
After the horrors of the hyper-inflationary era, many are sceptical when it comes to the nation printing its own money.
Such assurances can help to ease the fears of investors and operators in the market. It is clear the bond note has been well received by consumers and operators.
Money attains its value in part from confidence in it and there is definitely confidence in the bond note.
To maintain this confidence, the Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe should maintain the steady supply of the bond note without fears the US dollar is disappearing from the economy.
Now that cash issues are slowly being alleviated, the Finance Minister and his colleagues in Government must turn their attention to the ease and cost of doing business in Zimbabwe.
With a stable cash environment, the cost of business needs to come down so that Zimbabwean goods become competitive on the international market.
SI64 has helped some of our industries to recover, but this will not benefit us if we are paying more than what our regional counterparts are paying for goods and services. Prioritising the cost of operating a business and working to reduce this will not only see an increase in investment which creates jobs, but also an increase in disposable incomes.
Now that there is cash in the economy, that money must circulate locally. For this to happen, people must be ready to spend and save. By lowering the cost of pro- duction and of goods, people will have more money in their pockets and are likely to save it, meaning banks will have more money to loan out.
There are many benefits to focusing on the cost of doing business in Zimbabwe and I hope that the Government will focus on this area in 2017. We are a nation of abundant potential which we must now realise for our present and the future of our children. Takunda Danga, Via e-mail.