An economist has accused Finance and Economic Investment Ministry’s Permanent Secretary George Guvamatanga of promoting the cannibalisation of formal businesses after he dismissed claims by owners of formal retailers that informal shops (tuckshops) are killing their businesses.
The economic commentator, Tinashe Murapata, said the retail and wholesale sector is the largest contributor to tax through VAT and the electronic transfer tax. He said:
The perm sec, in his apoplectic misfiring, was invariably accusing himself and Treasury of mismanaging the economy.
Worse, instead of protecting the guys who believed in his policies to the letter, he threw them under the bus.
The retail and wholesale sector is the largest contributor to tax through VAT and 2% electronic transfer tax.
They act as legal agents to the Treasury. Yet, today, there are clandestine operations that avoid paying VAT at all.
What then does it say about the Treasury promoting the cannibalisation of formal businesses? Businesses that on cue have followed what the President wants?
The banking sector has been reduced to a miserable US$1.2bn lending activity. 25% of its GNU highs. US$2bn deposits outside the banking sector.
The truth is that the Perm Sec is diverting attention. Government of Zimbabwe’s policy prescriptions told the patient to jump off a bridge. Unfortunately, the patient followed instructions.
Guvamatanga made the controversial comments at the Zimbabwe Economic Development Conference (ZEDCON) in Victoria Falls.
Last week, one of the country’s biggest retail chains, OK Zimbabwe, said “tuckshops” are killing large-scale retailers as they are forced to price their products using the official exchange rate which makes the goods very expensive in US dollars.
But Guvamatanga contended that big retailers should come up with innovative measures and adapt to economic dynamics. He said:
How do you complain about a tuck shop that pays five times more per square meter rent, does not have access to credit, and buys all the goods in cash right, because they do not have any access to credit?
Possibly they do not have better systems than what you have. And they do not have access to the cheaper foreign currency, they have to go to the parallel market.
You then come and say that you’re not able to compete because you have been taken out of business by informal tuck shops.
If I were on the board, I would fire you because you will be useless management. I would fire you.
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