ZimTrade mulls one-stop shop

Bianca Mlilo @BiancaMlilo
ZIMBABWE’S trade agency ZimTrade says it is working on establishing a one-stop shop to facilitate ease of doing export business for aspiring exporters.

ZimTrade chief executive officer Ms Sithembile Pilime told delegates at the just ended Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) congress in Bulawayo that the initiative was meant to increase company earnings through exports.

This was after delegates raised concern on what measures were in place to remove exports hurdles involving permits.

“Indeed ZimTrade is looking into this. We are talking of the need for a one-stop shop but only after rationalisation of the plethora of regulations of fees and levies. You can’t house all these things, they are not necessary and they are making our country uncompetitive,” said Ms Pilime.

“So we’re looking into that, it’s a subject that has been taken on board and I’m happy to say that the Office of the President (OPC), which is championing the ease of doing business for Zimbabwe, has also recognised that the ease of doing export business was not included.”

She said her organisation was also working on the reduction of numerous paperwork involved in facilitating permits

Ms Pilime also said ZimTrade had attended and made a presentation at a seminar organised by National Economic Consultative Forum, which looked at trade facilitation.

She said there was a need to revisit the Trade Surcharge Development Act, which was put in place in the early 1990s.

A surcharge is an additional charge or payment levied on certain products. Under the act, the importation of goods and services would attract a surcharge of 0,1 percent of the free-on-board value of goods.

Gold or articles made wholly from gold, currency, electricity, petroleum or fuels and oils derived from petroleum are exempt from the surcharge.