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Oliver Kazunga Senior Reporter
Gweru City Council has extended to August a 50 percent discount scheme for rates and service charges on all bills for industry and commerce. In a public notice, the local authority said it had resolved to grant an extension of promotion period on its rates and service clearance scheme it launched in 2014.
“The terms and conditions of the rates and service clearance or write-off scheme remains the same as follows: that 50 percent of rates and service charges on all bills for industry, commerce and all institutions, outstanding as at December 31, 2013 shall be knocked off if 50 percent of such outstanding amounts are paid up during promotional period,” it said, adding that affected ratepayers and debtors who fail to embrace the relief measure would have the full arrears owing to council restored after the lapse of the grace period.
Last week, the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) announced in its latest council minutes that it had also renewed a 50 percent discount incentive to mid year for industry and commerce to ease operational constraints.
In 2014, BCC unveiled the scheme that saw a total of $2,2 million companies owed the city council being discounted.
“It was recommended that the council extends the scheme up to June 2015 as the current economic environment was indeed bleak. However, the status quo should remain, that is, 50 percent of the debt will still apply to the December balance and arrears be paid to date,” said the local authority.
It said a number of companies had given reasons among them that they were not able to clear their debts and thus needed additional time.
At the beginning of 2014, BCC announced a cocktail of incentives meant to ease the burden on local companies.
In the past few years, Zimbabwe’s second largest city, once the industrial hub, has continued to suffer massive de-industrialisation compounded by the prevailing economic challenges.
So far, more than 100 companies have closed down in Bulawayo rendering at least 20,000 people jobless.
According to the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries, the country’s manufacturing sector needs about $8 billion to retool and stimulate productivity to competitive levels.
Online Reporter