Government slashes sports levies

Don Makanyanga

Online Reporter

Cabinet has approved reductions of match-day levies and fees charged to sporting organisations as part of Government’s mop-up review of licences, permits, levies and fees.

The review, presented by Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube and approved by Cabinet today, includes major reductions in levies affecting football and other sporting events.

Among the key measures, Cabinet cut the Sport and Recreation Commission’s six percent gate takings levy by half, while the Zimbabwe Football Association’s six percent levy on gross match-day revenue was also reduced by 50 percent.

The Premier Soccer League levy, previously pegged at 10 percent of net match-day income, has been lowered to four percent, while local authorities’ venue hire levy was reduced from 15 percent to 10 percent of total gross attendance.

Government said the measures are aimed at streamlining duplicated and overlapping regulatory charges, eliminating unnecessary fees and reducing excessively high levies to improve the ease of doing business across the sports sector and other industries.

“Cabinet noted and approved the mop-up review of licences, permits, levies and fees charged by ministries, departments and agencies in agriculture, education, transport, sport and the natural stone export subsector, as presented by the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, Honourable Mthuli Ncube.

“In order to ensure that the review comprehensively covers all sectors of the economy, Cabinet extended it to include outstanding sectors and sub-sectors that were not covered during the review of the initial 13 priority sectors approved on 29 July 2025,” reads a statement from today’s 26th post Cabinet briefing.

The reductions are expected to ease the financial burden on football clubs, leagues and event organisers.