Online Reporter
Belindah Chikandiwa and Takudzwa Mangrozah
GOVERNMENT has called on citizens, businesses, and civil society to directly engage the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion with proposals for a fairer tax system, stating that the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority is merely an implementer of policies approved by Parliament.
This call was made by the Permanent Secretary for Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Mrs Mavis Sibanda, while addressing a National Dialogue on Gender Equality and Fiscal Policy in Harare yesterday.
The conference, held under the theme “Making Fiscal Policy Work for Gender Equality,” was convened to find ways of making budgets and tax collection more responsive to the needs of women and other marginalised groups.
Mrs Sibanda called for a shift in perspective, noting that taxes are not a punishment but a necessity for national development.
“I want to pause here and say taxes are not a punishment for this.
“When we are required to pay taxes, it’s not punishment; it is a requirement. Even the Bible says, ‘You pay unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar’.
Yes, I think we should always remember that,” she said.
Mrs Sibanda urged stakeholders to channel their energies effectively.
“Let’s not blame ZIMRA because it is not the one that comes up with tax proposals. They are implementers of what has been approved,” she said.
“You are the ones who are supposed to come and propose those to us so that we can submit your proposals to the Minister of Finance.”
Mrs Sibanda stated that this was the pathway to creating a tax policy that becomes an “instrument of empowerment” for women entrepreneurs, young innovators, rural communities, and people living with disabilities.
She acknowledged that current fiscal policies were not gender-responsive, a situation that disproportionately affects women who are the “backbone of our economy” through both paid and unpaid labour.
“It is our responsibility to engage the Minister of Finance and come up with proposals that will make the policies gender-sensitive,” Mrs Sibanda said.
She stated that the national dialogue, which will be rolled out to all provinces starting with Manicaland, is a critical platform for gathering transformative ideas to build a more equitable and just fiscal system for all Zimbabweans.
“There is nobody with a monopoly on knowledge. We know you have a lot of insights. Share with us so that we can move forward,” Mrs Sibanda said.
