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THE 2021 budget presented by the finance minister Mthuli Ncube to Parliament shows that the minister was living in a ‘fantasy world,’ according to academic, Professor Austin Chakaodza. “Some of the major challenges facing our society are issues of poverty and unemployment. Ninety percent of the people of Zimbabwe were already unemployed before the eruption of COVID-19. The majority of the people continue to lack certain basic capabilities which are encapsulated in the socio - economic rights guaranteed in the constitution,” he said. “They continue to be deprived of basic capabilities - such as the capability to be free from hunger, to live in good health, to be literate and access to a social security safety net. This budget does not fulfil a number of human rights such as the right to food, health, education and training,” Chakaodza said. A big part of Mthuli 2021 budget is a range of new tax measures to fund the ambitious $421,6 billion budget. The highlight of this plan is how the taxman plans to go after the informal sector, which is the bulk of the economy but pays little tax. From new and higher taxes to a new tax unit targeting SMEs, it is a budget that gives away very little, but takes a lot. Here is how some of Mthuli’s measures will affect you. If you are a low-income earner There is not much tax relief for you. The tax-free threshold has only been raised slightly from $5 000 per month to $10 000 per month. Tax bands will begin at $10 001 and end at $250 000 per month. This does little for the poorest workers. For perspective; in October, a Zimbabwean family of five needed $18 750 just to stay above the poverty line. If you earn more than $250 000, you pay the highest marginal tax rate of 40%. If you are expecting a bonus, the bonus tax-free threshold has gone up from $5 000 to $25 000, with effect from 1 November 2020. If you were tired of the 2% tax, sorry The 2% tax on mobile money and other electronic transfers stays. The tax has been unpopular since it came in 2018, but Mthuli says it has “generated substantial resources that have enabled Government to support various infrastructure projects”, including the COVID-19 response. So, the Minister isn’t giving much of this cash-cow away. You will no longer pay the 2% for transactions of up to $500, which is just a small increase from the current $300. For forex transactions, this tax will apply above US$5. The maximum of this tax that your business can pay has been raised from $25 000 to $800 000 on transactions with values exceeding $40 million, with effect from 1 January 2021. If you were planning to import a car Government will now control the importation of cars that are 10 years or older. Owning a car has just slid further from the reach of the majority, who cannot afford new vehicles. According to Mthuli, Zimbabwe has spent around US$1,3 billion importing buses and used cars over the past five years. Cars older than 10 years are now off the Open General Import Licence. This means that, from 2021, you will need a special import licence for older cars.
Many people have been killed since clashes began on Monday. Scores too had been killed in the run up to the vote as protestors marched against Conde's bid for a third term.
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa is today scheduled to meet Matabeleland traditional leaders in Bulawayo to, among other things, discuss the emotive Gukurahundi issue, marginalisation and development of the region. This is not the first time that Mnangagwa has met traditional leaders from the region to discuss festering issues in the region, but there is a worrying trend that these indabas are becoming empty talkshows. The President has also met members of the Matabeleland Collective (MC) at the State House in the city not once, but more than twice. In all these engagements, regional leaders have been clear that they will not settle for anything less than a sincere Gukurahundi apology and a truth-telling process led by the chiefs and civic society organisations from the region. They contend that this is key towards finding a lasting solution to Gukurahudi. In all the past engagements, Mnangagwa has skirted over the apology part and rushed to facilitate exhumations and reburials of Gukurahundi victims and issuance of identity documents to the survivors. This has left many affected citizens sceptical over his sincerity in dealing with the issue. They still believe that Mnangagwa, as one of the perpetrators, must not dictate the direction to be taken, but allow them to lead the healing process. In short, he should talk less and listen more. That's true statesmanship. The message has been very clear that the President cannot put the cart before the horse. From Mangwe to Tsholotsho, Bulawayo and Nkayi — demands of an acknowledgment, apology and a truth-telling process before reburials are uniform. Why does he now want to fast-track an issue that is as old as the country’s independence? We wonder why Mnangagwa is not doing the right thing. Mnangagwa should listen to the people who were affected in order to make his meetings meaningful. If the meetings fail to achieve anything, the people of Matabeleland will lose confidence in him and those meetings will be a wasted opportunity to resolve the crisis. Mnangagwa should simply own up to the atrocities, apologise and seek the consent of the victims on how they would want the crisis to be resolved. This is a key ingredient of transitional justice.
Western Bureau: Errol Lebert, chief executive officer at the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation (StEMC), is not pleased with the decision by Scotia Group Jamaica to close the Black River branch of the bank, saying it could lead to social unrest in...
When the coronavirus began spreading across Jamaica, sending many into quarantine and lockdown, Jodian Duhaney stepped up to the plate to assist those who were unable to provide for themselves. Duhaney’s initiative, Just4Charity, started small,...
The Move One Million movement has marched to Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg to call on the Constitutional Court to hold those responsible for state capture accountable. Members of the movement also marched to Parliament in Cape Town, to hand over the same memorandum.
There is no doubt that Michael Jordan is one of the greatest athletes of all time, let alone the best to ever grace the NBA hardwood. But, Jordan does believe that his historical professional career wouldn't be what it is today if he was hooping during the social media era.
… books about Hinduism, Buddhism and African American history on his shelf. She … on employment training largely with African Americans in north Minneapolis. Their hardships … the historical traumas in the African American community as unique, but he …
SOME of the country's major private sector groups yesterday jointly urged the Government to remove 'all duties and taxes' on digital devices for at least two years.
Voters in Seychelles are casting their ballots in the presidential and parliamentary elections spanning three days.
Saturday was the main and last day of voting. The exercise had opened on Thursday for voters on fringe islands and essential workers such as hospital staff in the Indian Ocean island country.
74,600 people are eligible to vote.
Most of the Indian Ocean islands making up the Seychelles, a prized honeymoon destination famed for white beaches and lush vegetation, are uninhabited and the archipelago's 98,000 residents mainly live on the islands of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue.
The opposition is hoping to unseat incumbent president Danny Faure, in power since 2016. Faure was not elected but took over after his boss, James Michel, resigned as president.
Faure is running under the United Seychelles party, which has been in power since 1977.
His main rival is the Anglican priest Wavel Ramkalawan, who is taking his sixth shot at the presidency and lost by only 193 votes to Michel in an unprecedented second round of voting in 2015.
Virus and economy
The main concern of voters is the economic situation in the country, which has suffered the loss of vital tourism -- its main earner -- because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Seychelles has recorded only 149 mostly imported cases, but the virus has been a key campaign issue, with the health minister banning election rallies which would have been a barometer of support for various candidates in a country without a polling institute.
The campaign has mainly happened over social media, where the opposition and its supporters are the most active, and on television where the country held its first ever debates between the candidates, which proved extremely popular.
Since the start of the pandemic, the economy has slowed significantly, with some 700 Seychellois losing their jobs, according to government figures.
And while average income is among the highest in Africa, the national statistics agency says that about 40 percent of Seychellois live in poverty because of the high cost of living.
Another key theme of the campaign has been corruption, a largely taboo topic in the tiny country where business and politics are often intertwined.
[Nairobi News] Nairobi County government can now recruit county staff after close to two years of inactivity due to lack of quorum in the county's public service board.
Faith Education Centre has settled into its new location. The special-needs institution, which launched a GoFundMe campaign on May 21 to relocate from its Willodene, Spanish Town, location, has moved to Innswood Village, also in the Old Capital. “...
Nationwide(BlackNews.com) - Esteemed African-American Attorney, Shymane Robinson, has launchedTrue Lawyer- a real estate and trademark law firm that helps transform Black communities by helping investors accumulate, protect, and transfer wealth. She started the law firm with both her best friend and sister… proving that women can successfully collaborate in business! Shymane says that she decided … Continued
The post Black lawyer starts law firm with her best friend and sister appeared first on New Pittsburgh Courier.
… had done more for black Americans than any of his … .’
‘Eight in ten black Americans believe that Trump is … saw Donald Trump have African American people, formerly incarcerated, … for criminal justice reform, African Americans overwhelmingly favor his opponent, …
We have all been given info concerning credit score and tips on how to use it that could be incorrect. It is necessary to sift by means of the myths…
The policy pursued by the US president has a huge impact on people's lives both at home and abroad, so the outcome will matter to everyone when Americans go to the polls on 3 November,
NURSES have objected to the decision by the Health ministry to scrap the flexible working hours system so that they can work for 40 hours a week. BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA Health secretary Jasper Chimedza on October 19 directed provincial medical directors to resume normal working hours for all nurses, saying the flexi working hours were creating artificial nurse shortages. But Zimbabwe Nurses Association president Enock Dongo, in a letter to Chimedza dated October 21, objected to the order, accusing the permanent secretary of making unilateral decisions. “The decision to implement the flexible working hour system is a product of agreement within the HSBNP [Health Service Bipartite Negotiating Panel]. It was not given unilaterally by the government nor did the employees adopt it on their own accord,” Dongo said. “With this in mind, your decision to unilaterally remove a system which you found in place and, in any event, was reached by agreement, is irregular and certainly not in good faith.” He added that the ministry’s circular ran contrary to the other communication they received on May 11, 2020, where it was put clearly that the flexible hour system would remain in place because it reduced exposure to COVID-19. He said the nurses, therefore, found it unfortunate that he proceeded to remove the flexible hour system when the risk of exposure was still quite high owing to poor supply of personal protective equipment (PPE). “Tied to the above, the flexi-hour system did not only address issues to do with PPE but also addressed issues of incapacity,” Dongo told Chimedza. “When you go to the origins of adopting this system, the reason was that regular working hours were becoming expensive to maintain on the salaries nurses were getting.” lFollow Harriet on Twitter @harrietchikand1
Amid the torrent of laminated campaign ads churning through the postal system this season, the slate mailer stands out as a perennial - and many say unseemly - California political tradition that dates back to at least the 1950s. Though new restrictions may be on the way. You've seen these before: A group, often with […]
The post Slated for deception? Beware of all those glossy mailers telling you how to vote appeared first on Black Voice News.
GOVERNMENT has approved a steep hike in school fees, which will see some pupils at boarding and urban day high schools forking out in excess of $55 000 up from $6 000 and $20 000 up from $3 000, respectively. BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA NewsDay Weekender has also heard that some schools are demanding payments in United States dollars for non-examination classes set to return to school on Monday. This comes amid complaints by parents and guardians that the fees were too high considering that the term was short and most teachers were on strike. Teachers’ unions described the increases as “daylight robbery” and insisted that their members would continue with their industrial action until government has addressed their demands for a pay hike. Primary and Secondary Education minister Cain Mathema yesterday confirmed the fees hike, adding that no parent had formally raised objections with his ministry. “No parent has complained to the ministry, every parent or guardian knows what needs to be done,” he said. Schools reopened for examination classes on September 28 following a six-month break triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The second batch of students comprising Grade 6 and Forms Three and Lower Sixth will report for lessons on Monday while the last batch is expected on November 9. Schools such as Catholic-run Gokomere and Silveira, Rusununguko and Prince Edward, among others, have reviewed their fees upwards with the latter now demanding $55 000 for boarders and $20 000 for day scholars. Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president Takavafira Zhou said the fees were certainly beyond the reach of many parents, particularly civil servants. “Our position is that parents must stop paying fees until teachers and government find each other over teachers' welfare, health and safety. Sending kids to school when teachers are not teaching is a waste of time; the fees are certainly beyond the reach of many parents, particularly teachers,” Zhou said. Parents interviewed by NewsDay Weekender said school heads just presented them with figures ranging from $28 000 to $55 000 and asked them to vote. “The process was not clear, we were just told figures to choose from and those figures will be presented to the government as coming from the parents. We are still under COVID-19, where our incomes were affected. Where will we get that money?” a parent whose child is at Rusungunguko asked. A parent with children at Price Edward in Harare asked: “Where can we get the $50 000 demanded by the school?” Other schools like Roosevelt also announced fees ranging from between $33 000 and $40 000, depending on pupils’ subject combinations. Parents of day scholars paid about $3 000 at Prince Edward before COVID-19, while boarding students at Roosevelt paid about $6 200. Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) chief executive officer Sifiso Ndlovu said fees were effected in consultation with the parents. “The onus to justify the fees level lies with school responsible authorities in liaison with parents and guardians of concerned learners,” he said
Going once, going twice-the winners of this year's Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences are two Stanford economists whose work lets the world make mobile phone calls, switch on a light, and buy and sell on [...]
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia The commitment by Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden to help increase opportunities and recognize the plight of African Americans as outlined in an exclusive editorial with Black Press USA resonated quite loudly with African American publishers and national board members from the National Newspaper Publishers […]
The post NNPA Publishers Respond to Joe Biden’s Commitment and Plan for Black America appeared first on Afro.
SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER Aquino Cole, professionally known as “Kino Ink,” is releasing his debut single, “Write A Way” to launch his career as a rap musician. The single is a PSA wake-up encouraging young people to not only register to vote but cast their ballot in the upcoming Nov. 3 election. “I want […]
The post B-CU alum’s debut rap single encourages young people to vote appeared first on Florida Courier.
