Chamisa Comments On Mid-term Budget Review [Full Thread]
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CCC leader Nelson Chamisa says the mid-term budget review presented last week by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mthuli Ncube, shows that the country has a serious leadership crisis.
Posting on Twitter, Chamisa outlined some of the measures that the government should implement to alleviate the citizens’ suffering.
The measures include dollarisation, restoration of civil servants’ pre-October 2018 US$540 salaries and the elimination of the RBZ forex auction, among other things. Wrote Chamisa:
1/12 The recent MID TERM BUDGET review confirms that Zimbabwe is in a serious leadership crisis and citizens are exposed to extreme poverty and suffering. I say this for the following reasons:
2/12 At a time when inflation has reached 257% in July and people in extreme poverty are 7.9 million (49%), the budget disbursements to social are extremely low, e.g., the ministry of health has been given 27% of the budget by June instead of a min of 50%.
3/12 When the consumer basket for a family of 5 has topped ZWL$140K, the government raises the salary of the lowest paid civil servants to $35K (excluding the US$175) and raises the tax-free threshold to $50K, both of which are far below the consumer basket & poverty datum line;
4/12 There is just unrestrained indiscipline in govt upon rampant galloping corruption. The condonation of ZWL$107 billion for the 2020 & 2019 fiscal years is testimony to this. The govt has created distortions in the foreign currency markets & now gold coins, the havens for corruption.
5/12 We face a major economic collapse and prospects of the bleakest Christmas season this year. USD: RTGS is now at 1:approx 800. The leadership failure is dramatic, gigantic and encyclopedic.
6/12 The following must be done immediately: a)Dollarisation which will immediately eliminate distortions, forward pricing and multiple pricing; b)Restoration of the US$540 as a starting salary;
7/12 c)Holistic tax reform. Reduce the tax burden on citizens and the business in general. As part of the tax reforms, we will remove the 2% tax and streamline taxes; d)Remove distortions esp in the agricultural sector and construction sectors which have created a casino economy.
8/12 e)The elimination of the Currency Auction and reforming the RBZ through limiting the power of the central bank. Separating the roles of central banking and financial services supervision.
9/12 f)Reforming the budgetary process so that the budget comes from parliament and not from the Ministry of Finance. The budget must come from the Citizens -a Citizens-centered budget.
10/12 g)Radically dealing with the corruption pandemic and instituting special mechanisms to eliminate and punish the corrupt.
11/12 h)Holding credible, free and fair elections preceded by a comprehensive pact on electoral reforms.
12/12 i) Only a leadership change will rescue our beautiful country and in no time turn and transform this Zimbabwe from ruins to greatness. We are new leaders.
