The Government has officially implemented the Fast Food Tax as part of the 2025 National Budget revenue measures, reported <a href="https://openparly.com/pizza-with-added-tax/">OpenParly</a>.
This initiative, designed to boost government revenue, took effect on January 1, 2025, following President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s signing of the Finance (2025) Bill into law.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube confirmed that a 1% tax will be levied on the sale value of specified fast foods, as detailed in Section 12F of the Value Added Tax Act.
The tax applies to fast foods sold in pre-packaged form or prepared on-site for immediate consumption, whether on or off the premises.
Under the Finance (2025) Act, the fast food tax encompasses:
<ul>
<li>Pizza</li>
<li>Burgers</li>
<li>Hot Dogs</li>
<li>Shawarma</li>
<li>Tacos</li>
<li>French Fries</li>
<li>Chicken</li>
<li>Doughnuts</li>
<li>Other foods of a similar nature</li>
</ul>
Fast food businesses throughout Zimbabwe have already raised their prices to accommodate the new tax.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

The government has started a tax on fast food to make more money. It started on January 1, 2025. The tax is 1% on the price of specific fast foods like pizza, burgers, and hot dogs. The tax applies to both packaged and fresh fast food for eating there or taking away. Fast food places in Zimbabwe have raised their prices because of this new tax.

Fast Food Tax Comes Into Effect

The Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts, and Culture has been allocated ZiG $888.3 million for 2025, a figure that, according to acting Permanent Secretary Eugenia Chidhakwa, is insufficient to fund its programmes, reported <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/sport-ministry-says-2025-budget-allocation-is-only-enough-to-cover-employees-salaries-operations/">NewZimbabwe.com</a>.
Chidhakwa revealed to the Parliamentary Committee on Sport that the Ministry had initially requested ZiG $2.2 billion, but was instead allocated just $888.3 million, leaving a significant shortfall of ZiG $1.3 billion.
She said the allocation would severely impact the Ministry’s ability to carry out its planned initiatives, as the funds will only cover salaries and operational costs. She said:
<blockquote>
We were given $888,387,000, giving us a deficit of $1,337,880,840. Within the ministry, we are divided into three major programs.
The programmes are policy and administration; sport and recreation, promotion and development and the arts and culture promotion and development.
Our parastatals, which are the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), the Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling Control Board, the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and the National Galleries of Zimbabwe have been given monies that will only cover their salaries and operations.
Nothing has been provided to our parastatals or projects and programmes, which then becomes a very big cause for concern because it means in 2025 they will not be able to implement their projects.
</blockquote>
The sports was formed out of an existing Youth ministry and therefore still needs offices, equipment, and furniture among other things. Said Chidhakwa:
<blockquote>
We also need to procure furniture, furniture which then covers our principals, our ministers, our deputy ministers as well as our permanent secretary and no amount has been allocated to that.
The ministry in its establishment has got provincial and district structures and you would recall, Honourable Chair, that we once used to work with the Ministry of Youth and it was then sports, arts and culture.
We are now a new ministry and then what it entails is that our provincial and district officers don’t have places that they are supposed to operate from because we are a new ministry, they also don’t have furniture and tools of trade, which to us are the integral part of our structure as a ministry.
So without the tools of trade and equipment, it becomes very difficult for them to be able to operate. 
They have major events that they are supposed to be implementing both in the arts and sports and recreation as well as the arts and culture sector.
So our budget falls very short of the activities that we are talking about.
</blockquote>
Chidhakwa warned that the Ministry may fail to fulfil its corporate agreements with other countries in 2025 due to a shortage of funds. She said:
<blockquote>
Furthermore, these activities we do with our parastatals. If the ministry falls short of the budget and our parastatals, if I have alluded, have not been given any budget allocation for the same programmes and the same projects it means we then have a very tall order in 2025 which we might fail to fulfil our corporate agreements within member countries.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

The Ministry of Sport doesn't have enough money to do all the things it wants to do. They asked for $2.2 billion but only got $888.3 million. This means they can only pay workers and cover basic costs, and not fund projects or buy furniture and equipment. Without more money, they may not be able to do events or keep agreements with other countries in 2025. This shortage of funds will make it hard for the Ministry to do all the work it needs to do.

Ministry Of Sport Faces Budget Shortfall With ZiG $888.3 Million Allocation

Statement by the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) faction led by Welshman Ncube on the 2024 national budget presented by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube on Thursday:
<blockquote>
<h2>Citizens Coalition for Change Statement on 2025 budget statement</h2>
The recent national budget proposal exposes the Zanu PF government’s obnoxious penchant to compulsorily expropriate people’s money to the last cent to fund the honchos lavish lifestyle.
As Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) we are of the conviction that the fundamental error in the budget statement was failure to understand what makes a nation succeed.
Our success must move from a government that is just a tax collector to one that enables economic growth and create jobs. Our people are suffering idleness.
A CCC government will implement the following budget policies:
1. Ensure job creation by funding youth and women innovation funnels and entrepreneurial development
2. Cut off middlemen often called “buyers” in the mineral value chain by enhancing capacity of the Minerals Marketing Authority to Zimbabwe and Fidelity Printers. This will prevent pilferage and haemorrhage of precious minerals for the benefit of the select few.
3. Empower communities through revenue share of mineral wealth through community ownership schemes run by trusts.
4. Drive innovation, partnerships and good governance to have part of mineral wealth exploited fully by exclusive mining by Zimbabwe Mining Development Fund.
5. Fund rural value addition in agriculture, organise communities and offer export incentives. Develop and deploy rural industrial hubs and access to market schemes.
6. Have robust fiscal regime that curtail non-value adding imports whilst growing local capacity.
7. Invest in science and technology including innovation hubs that go beyond the familiar of copying and pasting already existing ideas.
8. Re-invent the idea of growth points as centres of economic success stories and as places to live and thrive for the youth.
9. Increase tax collection by simplifying the tax code and offer tax breaks for Small Micro and medium enterprises.
10. Reform, fund and refine technical college training to enable massive export of labour on a government to government agreement.
11. Negotiate taxations agreement that enable additional tax benefit from the Zimbabwe trained diaspora benefitting foreign governments.
12. Simplify license, permits and tax payments to simplify the cost of doing business so as to attract investment and prevent underground economy.
As CCC we believe in the importance of health for all. Taxes should not be used to punish citizens and corporates. A CCC government will do the following:
1. Establish a lean collecting agent for lifestyle taxes including but not limited to sugar tax, airtime and data tax, tobacco and cigarette surtax, and other health related tax collections
2. Ensure a 100% free tax regime for health service firms and PAYE exemption of health service workers.
3. Initiate a council that encompass Aids, TB, Cancer, Diabetes and Hypertension instead of just one that cares for HIV and AIDS.
The education budget allocation greatness is that it exceeds the Maputo Declaration albeit that 16% of nothing is nothing. A one size fits all model causes inordinate tax burdens.
As a CCC government we shall cover 100% of rural schools’ budget, 70% for high-density schools, 50% of low-densityschools and 0% of private schools.
Presenting a budget on the mantra of “Building Resilience for Sustained Economic Transformation” is a loud sounding nothing when in the statement the anchor remains agriculture and mining.
A CCC government will drive economic diversification as a strategic imperative. Further we shall ensure the entire Zimbabwe is a special economic zone for 5 years to attract and retain investment then create jobs.
The country’s economy is largely formal. Introducing corporate tax as a panacea solves nothing in our view. A CCC government will drive a program to simplify the tax code including licensing and permit codes.
We shall liaise with professional bodies to further simplify reporting standards of small enterprises. This will enable easy and cost-effective compliance.
A decentralized area-based Zimra booth is a simple idea but effective. Capturing the formal into informal shall be done with massive reduction of tax heads and tax amounts.
As a CCC government our intention is to collapse ministries with insignificant allocations and or make them departments.
Allocations should be alive to value creation ministries more. We shall discard incremental budgets and implement value and activity-based budgeting.
It is sad that civil servants’ welfare was largely ignored in this budget. As CCC government we shall benchmark salaries to regional standards with a first-year premium of a higher cost of living in the country.
The budget is based on a ZiG conversion that is sub optimal and false. It’s a lie. As CCC government in our first year of office we shall base our budget on US dollar, discard the ZiG and then deploy a mono currency in the second year.
The diaspora rights particularly the right to vote could increase diaspora remittances and promotion of import substitution to help the balance of payments and the current account.
The budget is anti-people, anti-business and anti-Zimbabwe. It must be rejected.
Willias Madzimure
Party Spokesperson
Citizens Coalition for Change
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) is not happy with the 2025 national budget because they think it is bad for the people, businesses, and Zimbabwe. They believe the budget takes too much money from the people and doesn't create enough jobs or help the economy grow. The CCC has a plan to create jobs, support communities, and simplify taxes to attract investment. They also want to improve health and education, make the economy more diverse, and help civil servants get better salaries. The CCC is against the budget and wants it to be rejected.

FULL TEXT: 2025 National Budget Is Anti-people, Anti-business And Anti-Zimbabwe - CCC

The Parliament of Zimbabwe has issued an apology to President Emmerson Mnangagwa following a power outage on Thursday after the 2025 National Budget presentation at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden.
The outage quickly became the subject of jokes and ridicule on social media, with many attributing it to the ongoing load shedding that has left businesses and households without electricity for over 18 hours daily.
Some social media users took delight in the fact that the power failure had affected the country’s leadership.
However, Parliament clarified in a statement that the power disruption was caused by thunderstorms and high winds, which affected overhead lines.
This led to tripping at a 132kV feeder that supplies power to a substation, which in turn powers the Mt Hampden area.
After consulting with onsite personnel and the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), Parliament confirmed that this was the cause of the power loss to the New Parliament Building and nearby areas at 15:25.
The backup generator at the building was also impacted by the power surge, causing it to lose its memory settings and fail to switch on automatically.
However, power was restored within five minutes after the generator was manually reset.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

The Parliament of Zimbabwe said sorry to the President for a power cut during a budget talk. People on social media made fun of it. The power cut happened because of a storm and strong winds. The power came back on after a few minutes.

Parliament Apologises For Power Outage During Budget Presentation

Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti has criticized the 2025 National Budget presented by Mthuli Ncube on Thursday, describing it as shallow, dishonest, and out of touch with the needs of the people.
In a post on X, Biti said that the budget reflects the incompetence and corruption of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration.
He further criticized the proposed tax measures, claiming they show a lack of empathy and disproportionately target vulnerable sectors.
Biti also argued that the budget fails to address the pressing issue of critical energy shortages. He wrote:
<blockquote>
The 2024 Budget Statement was presented in the backdrop of a tough and challenging year for the working people of Zimbabwe.
A year in which the citizen had been abused by extreme levels of inflation, emasculation by a rigged exchange rate, extortionate taxes, power shortages, poverty, and the aftermath of a scorching drought.
Naively, the citizen and businesses thus hoped for a BOLD, HONEST DECISIVE &amp; TECHNICALLY SOUND budget that would address the crippling challenges of the day and offer hope &amp; catharsis to a broken fatalistic desperate and disparate population.
Regrettably, Minister Ncube’s budget was nothing but a shallow, hollow, narcissistic, dishonest anti-people ritual. 
The Budget correctly bluetooths everything cataleptic about the Mnangwagwa regime: incompetence, ideologically vacuous, corrupt, insensitive, vicious and toxic.
Seven issues amplify the fatality of Mthuli’s project. First is the clear failure to calibrate the Budget in US$. In a volatile high inflation environment expressing the Budget in a local currency ravaged by serious inflation pressures is clearly a faux pas.
Zim has gone through six bouts of currency failures and any budget expressed in a local currency is a facade. A volatile ZIG also creates accounting chaos for businesses. Ultimately, a ZIG-based budget is simply a means to hide and mislead the true depth of economic mismanagement
Second Mr Ncube’s microeconomic framework and projections are simply unsound and blatantly dishonest. A 2 % GDP growth for 2024 is simply overstated.
It underestimates the ZIG-induced depression that has captured markets since 5 April 2024. A period that has seen many companies close or downsize.
There has been a massive curtailment of revenue inflows in companies and in the government itself. Aggregate demand simply collapsed resulting in Government revenues also collapsing to the point that at the present moment regime has no capacity to pay wages.
The budget projection of a 6 % growth in 2025 is dross. It is based on 3 assumptions viz decent rainfall, low inflation and a stable currency, and a tight fiscal and monetary policy. Expecting this government to live within its means and to keep a tight fiscal ship is madness.
The regime must monetize its rent-seeking projects particularly the feeding trough that road construction has become.
Particularly command agriculture and multiple Presidential schemes. Once the boys are paid broad money shoots through the roof. Inflation spikes and the ZIG falls.
Third, the 2025 budget framework is unsound and must be rejected by Parliament. In 2024 ZIG110,722 billion in revenue will be collected against projected expenditure of ZIG 119.972 resulting in a deficit of ZIG 9.3 billion. (they don’t sing about surpluses anymore).
In 2025 projected revenue jumps to ZIG 276.4 billion or US$ 7.5 billion. Whilst expenditure is ZIG 276.3 billion or US$7,668 billion.
On a growth of 6%, it eludes one’s wisdom how revenue will grow by 150% from ZIG110 billion in 2024 to ZIG 276 billion.
Put in another way, Mr Ncube expects 2024 revenues of ZIG 110 billion or US 3.05 billion to jump to US$7,5 billion.
This mendacity reflects disrespect for Zimbabwean intellect. More than that reflects total and utter contempt of Parliament. But the real issue is where will.
Mr Ncube extracted US$7,5 billion when companies have been squeezed dry and closing down retrenching or relocating.
Fourth the regime proposed revenue measures are narcissistic and lack empathy. Imposing taxes on betting income, on Pizza and chicken inn is ridiculous.
Targeting informal traders in spare parts dealers, groceries, hardware, lodgers, fabric merchandisers and boutiques for taxation is cruel and ridiculous.
The regime suffers from the warped view that it can extract money from stone. The pathological obsession with taxation is sickening
There is a crisis of under-accumulation in Zimbabwe. Companies are shutting down and unemployment is on the rise.
The 2025 Budget had a duty to create a stimulus and to provide incentives for consumption &amp; production to jump-start the economy.
Taxes had to be reduced various stimuli provided. Instead, a vacuous bankrupt government went the opposite of what logic dictated.
Sixth there had to be a push for currency reform. ZIG has failed and failed in absolute terms. The epicentre of the Zim crises is exchange rate mismanagement.
Finally, given the current structural energy crises the Budget ought to have addressed the power situation. Indeed it is ridiculous to imagine the economy will grow by 6% without power. No wonder and very poignantly ZESA went off during the Budget presentation.
Truth is, this is the worst government in the history of governments and the 2025 Budget is a further exhibit of this fact.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Tendai Biti, a former Finance Minister, says the 2025 National Budget is bad and doesn't help people. He thinks the government is not good at managing money. Biti doesn't like the proposed tax increases and thinks they hurt poor people. He also says the budget does not solve the energy crisis. Biti believes the government is dishonest and only cares about itself. Overall, he thinks the budget is very bad and will make things worse for Zimbabwe.

Biti Slams 2025 National Budget As Shallow And Out of Touch

Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion Minister Mthuli Ncube on Thursday announced a series of new taxes aimed at increasing government revenue to address rising financial demands, further burdening an already strained taxpayer base.
The new taxes outlined in the budget, which are effective January 01, 2025, will target sectors including betting, fast food, and plastic bags, among others.
Below are the new taxes in the 2025 National Budget:
<ul>
<li>Fast Food Tax – a 0.5% tax on the sales value of fast food items like pizza, burgers, chips, tacos and hot dogs.</li>
<li>Betting Tax – a 10% withholding tax on the gross winnings of sports betting punters.</li>
<li>Plastic Bag Tax – a 20% tax on the sale value of plastic bags.</li>
<li>Rental Income Tax – a 25% tax on the rental income of properties converted from residential to business use.</li>
<li>Capital Gains Tax on Marketable Securities – a 1% tax on marketable securities.</li>
<li>Excise Duty on Alcoholic Beverages – excise duty on alcohol increased from USD 0.25/litre to USD 0.30/litre.</li>
<li>Royalties on Quarry Stones – quarry stones will attract a royalty rate of 0.5% of their sales value.</li>
<li>Corporate Income Tax on Building Societies – receipts from non-mortgage activities by building societies will now be taxed.</li>
<li>Mandatory Tax Registration for Emerging Sectors – small businesses including car dealers and hardware operators must register for taxes, failing which specific quarterly corporate tax payments will be levied against them.</li>
</ul>
Former MP for Mt Pleasant, Fadzayi Mahere, criticized Minister Mthuli Ncube for increasing the tax burden on citizens while enjoying a lavish lifestyle. She wrote on X:
<blockquote>
You drive the latest big bad Range Rover for which you paid 0% import duty yet you make a budget statement that squeezes every drop of blood from the taxpayer!
You’re not even ashamed that the country has a ballooning debt of over US$21 billion, you cannot afford to pay teachers or that you rely on food handouts during a drought!
To cap it all off, your solution to the economic crisis is to tax chicken and chips, njuga and rental income. No wonder ZESA protested after you spoke by turning the lights off as a sign of the darkness to come.
The economy is dead and the country is on auto-pilot. The Budget is anti-people, anti-productivity and anti-progress. It’s a mess.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwe's government has introduced new taxes to get more money from people. The taxes will start in 2025 and target things like fast food, betting, plastic bags, rental income, and more. Critics say the government is making life harder for citizens while they live fancy lives. They worry about the country's big debt and the struggling economy. The new taxes are causing a lot of anger and frustration among the people.

Zimbabwe Unveils New Tax Measures, Increasing Burden On Already Strained Taxpayers

Zimbabwe’s foreign currency inflows rose by 17.9%, during the first nine months of 2024 primarily driven by export receipts and diaspora remittances.
Presenting the 2025 National Budget on Thursday, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said export receipts accounted for 59% while diaspora remittances were 25% of the total receipts. Said Ncube:
<blockquote>
The country’s external sector position has remained resilient, as reflected by a notable increase in foreign currency receipts, which rose by 17.9%, to US$10 billion, during the first nine months of 2024, from US$8.5 billion received during the same period in 2023.
The growth was primarily driven by export receipts and diaspora remittances which accounted for 59% and 25% of the total receipts, respectively.
</blockquote>
Ncube said the improvement in foreign currency receipts has positively impacted the country’s balance of payments position.
The Treasury boss noted that preliminary estimates indicate that the current account balance recorded a surplus of US$227 million in the first nine months of 2024, a significant improvement from the surplus of US$59.4 million recorded in the same period last year. He added:
<blockquote>
The country experienced strong inflows through secondary income, contributing to the current account surplus, notwithstanding deficits registered in the services and primary income accounts.
In 2024, the current account is projected to record a surplus of US$150.5 million and further improve to US$277.4 million in 2025, driven mainly by the resilient diaspora remittances inflows and a projected narrower trade deficit.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwe got more foreign money in 2024, 17.9% more than before. It came from things like selling stuff overseas and money sent by people living outside the country. The Finance Minister said this extra money helped the country's overall financial situation. The country had more money coming in compared to what was going out. They expect to have more money coming in the next year too. This is good news for Zimbabwe's economy.

Zimbabwe's Foreign Currency Inflows Surge By 17.9% In 2024

The Zimbabwean government is forecasting a strong economic rebound in 2025 as the country recovers from an El Niño-induced drought that has affected agricultural production, increased demand for imports, and strained state finances.
Presenting the 2025 National Budget at the New Parliament Building in Mount Hampden, Harare, on Thursday, November 28, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube projected a 6% expansion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2025, a significant increase from the 2% growth expected in 2024. Ncube had previously anticipated a 5.3% growth for 2024. He said:
<blockquote>
The domestic economy is still projected to record a growth of 2% in 2024. However, the agriculture sector, which was initially projected to contract by -21%, is now expected to contract by -15% on account of better than anticipated output on wheat and dairy.
This improvement will, however, be offset by lower performance in mining and manufacturing sectors, maintaining the overall growth forecast of 2%.
In the outlook, economic growth is now projected at 6% in 2025, slightly below the initial forecast of 6.5%.
The projected strong economic performance is expected to emanate from the recovery in the agriculture sector, which is poised to grow by 12.8%, electricity generation by 10.6%, information technology by 9.9% and by mining 5.6%.
The anticipated La-Nina weather phenomenon, usually associated with normal to above-normal rainfall, is going to be the major driver of growth in agriculture and electricity generation.
</blockquote>
Ncube said the 2025 economic growth projections are underpinned by normal to above-normal rainfall which is expected to result in increased agricultural production, a stable exchange rate and low inflation providing a conducive doing business environment, and tight fiscal and monetary policies.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwe's economy is expected to grow by 6% in 2025, which is higher than the 2% growth expected in 2024. This is because the agriculture sector is doing better. The country is also expecting good rainfall, which will help with farming and electricity generation. The Finance Minister thinks the economy will be good in 2025 because of these factors. This is good news for Zimbabwe's economy!

Mthuli Ncube Projects 6% GDP Growth For Zimbabwe In 2025

Former Member of Parliament for Mt Pleasant, Fadzayi Mahere (CCC), has urged the Minister of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion, Mthuli Ncube, to present the 2025 National Budget in US dollars instead of the ZiG currency, which is prone to depreciation.
Ncube is expected to announce the budget this Thursday, November 28, at the New Parliament in Mt Hampden.
Mahere also advised Ncube to avoid introducing new taxes. Instead, she suggested reducing or removing VAT on small businesses, the 2% tax on banking transactions, the sugar tax, and import duties on basic goods. Said Mahere:
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li>BUDGET WARNING: Today Mthuli Ncube will make his 2025 Budget Statement. The biggest mistake he can make would be to announce tax increases on an already shrinking tax base. Instead, he should do the following:</li>
<li>Announce tax incentives (especially for corporations) to encourage compliance;</li>
<li>Reduce the corporate tax rate remove the unnecessary VAT on small businesses to stimulate productivity;</li>
<li>Find ways to widen the tax base as opposed to squeezing the few who pay tax;</li>
<li>Reduce toll fees and fuel levies to reduce the overall cost of goods;</li>
<li>Remove or reduce the 2% tax on banking transactions to reduce the overall cost of doing business;</li>
<li>Remove the sugar tax;</li>
<li>Remove or reduce the ridiculous property tax;</li>
<li>Remove import duty on basic goods to decrease the overall cost of living;</li>
<li>Remove obstacles on trade between manufacturers and retail suppliers;</li>
<li>State the budget in realistic USD figures so that it’s not a circus of announcing meaningless figures that are certain to devalue and which will in most instances never be disbursed.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Former MP Fadzayi Mahere wants Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube to announce the 2025 budget in US dollars to prevent depreciation. She also advises against new taxes. Instead, Mahere suggests reducing or removing taxes on small businesses, banking transactions, sugar, and import duties. She wants tax incentives for compliance, lowering corporate taxes, widening the tax base, and reducing toll fees and fuel levies. Mahere also wants property tax and obstacles on trade removed. She wants the budget stated in USD to prevent the devaluation of the currency.

2025 National Budget Latest News

Latest Jobs