Council okays daily revenue collections
THE cash-strapped Harare City Council has introduced a daily-based revenue collection strategy for informal traders as it seeks to plug revenue leakages.
Harare has also recently highlighted its intention to engage a South African firm, Skystar, as part of broader plans to enhance revenue collection and service delivery initiatives in the city.
The collection of rates daily will start with traders at Mupedzanhamo Flea Market who are reportedly going to be paying on site as the city is also targeting to eliminate subletting among traders.
According to the recent minutes of the Finance and Development Committee, a receipting office will be constructed at Mupedzanhamo Flea Market to allow on-site payment of market fees.
“Council notes the strategies and ways of improving revenue collection from markets, home industries and overnight guarded car parks in Harare. Council authorises the conversion of Mupedzanhamo Flea Market from the current monthly to daily payments in order to eliminate subletting and shifting from stall ownership,” reads the minutes.
“Council authorises the construction of a receipting office at Mupedzanhamo Flea Market and the payment of market fees on site.”
Harare has also allowed traders occupying open spaces to be charged $8 per day as a temporal payment, as the Director of Housing and Community Services designates temporary vending sites.
The authorisation has exempted those operating in the Central Business District.
Harare is also in the quest of modernising all markets through construction of world class structures as it aims to be a top notch city by 2025.
As of the Skystar deal, the firm was proposing a long-term agreement with Harare under which it would provide, manage and maintain the citizen platform, initially at no cost.
This was on the assumption that the project would subsequently be self-financing.
In the medium to long-term, the platform would enable the city to double or treble revenue collection as well as introduce new revenue streams.