High time Govt considers price controls

GOVERNMENT should make sure that it puts price controls on the prices of basic goods and services because most prices are now beyond the reach of ordinary Zimbabweans.

I feel that the Government also needs to reduce the prices especially on the new number plates for cars since they are also unaffordable.

Most workers in Zimbabwe are earning very little salaries and are expected to pay for their rentals, electricity, water bills as well as school fees for their children.

It’s very difficult for motorists to transfer cars into their own names since they will also again be required to pump out about $160 to buy the new number plates under their names.

A lot of cars in Zimbabwe are being used by people who are not registered owners as a result of huge amounts of money which are needed for the change of ownership process.

I am therefore, appealing to the Government to consider slashing the price of registration plates from the current exorbitant price of $160 to at least $10. I hope this will be a noble idea where almost all vehicles will be used by people whose names appear on the car registration book.

Then the privately owned companies should also follow suit and reduce the prices of their goods and services. It’s very difficult to operate a business in Zimbabwe as large sums of money are involved.

Electricity is very expensive when we compare it with other countries in the region. Water is also very expensive in this country and for our economy to fully recover we need affordable rates and bills but as it stands right now some companies have decided to scale down their operations to cut costs. If the Government is not strict on prices then we will have a challenge as a country.

If we can compare the prices in most supermarkets now and the way things were about three months ago we can therefore see that businesspeople are increasing prices of these basic goods every month and I feel this is not good for our country as we are expecting the economy to grow ever since the bond notes were introduced.

For the manufacturers to sell their products at cheaper prices they also need to operate in an environment where they pay less on transport and other costs.

We hope the Government will do something urgently to save our people and the country. Eddious Masundire Shumba, Waterford, Bulawayo.