Budget: What the people want

ON November 22 at around 3pm, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube will be in Parliament Building in Harare with his plan for Government revenue and expendture in 2019.

The establishment of the Second Republic under President Emmerson Mnangagwa has ignited fresh hope for Zimbabweans, and Thursday will show just how serious the administration is when it comes to turning things around.

A financial mathematics guru, the Finance Minister has already outlined the mid-term economic plan via the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (October 2018-December 2020).

The TSP is pregnant with fiscal solutions to stabilise the economy, which is already on the recovery path, with President Mnangagwa’s vision being to attain upper middle-income status by 2030.

For ordinary people man and woman on the street, the immediate concerns are access to cash, and availability of affordable food and medicines.

Mr Farirai Moyo from Kuwadzana, Harare, will tell you: “I hope the Government will come up with measures to cushion us against high cost of living.

“There is need for increasing the health budget so that we have affordable access to health. Medication is being sold in foreign currency. Where can an ordinary person like me get the US dollars for medication? We need to be cushioned by the Government.”

Although most basic commodities are now readily available, their prices remain steep.

In many shops, a 2-litre bottle of cooking oil sells for $6,79 while 2kg of sugar is priced at $3,85. A bar of laundry soap is pegged at $4,99.

Butcheries are selling 1kg of beef and pork at $13, while chicken has risen to $8 per kg from around $3.

“We want the prices to be reduced before the festive season. Government should do something about prices in the 2019 budget,” says Mabvuku resident Mrs Petronella Joni.

Others, like Miss Edna Chisvora, say Prof Ncube should prioritise education.

“We need new schools in rural areas and these institutions should be equipped with the latest science laboratory kits so that our children learn new things.”

Mr Edmore Fuzani wants Prof Ncube to pay civil servants an annual bonus and for the tax-free threshold on income set at $2 000.

“We want more disposable income because prices of goods are way to high now,” he says.

He also wants a relaxation of the new intermediated money transfer tax, which he says is a burden on citizens.

The Head of State and Government has indicated that the tax head is being fine-tuned and expectations are that the refinements will be seen in the 2019 National Budget.

President Mnangagwa has warned that rebalancing Zimbabwe’s economy after years of neglect by his predecessor will entail some pain, as austerity always does.

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, President Mnangagwa said, “The process of change is not smooth. Some pain and discomfort along the way is inevitable. The arduousness of the path of reform can sometimes lead governments to stall or backtrack.

“But as a passionate reformer leading a reformist Government, I know there is no other way. We cannot allow anything to slow us down. As Thatcher once said: ‘Yes, the medicine is harsh, but the patient requires it in order to live.’”

Secretary for Finance and Economic Development Mr George Guvamatanga says people mist not lose sight of the fact that Government is working to improve things.

“We have to understand that it involves some very painful decisions for us to be successful. The challenges we are facing are temporary and soon, we will be smiling.

“We will lay out our strong plans to transform the economy in the 2019 Budget. We have a lot of work to do and we will push until things change for everyone in Zimbabwe.”