Pindula News
4th October 2018
MDC politician and former Education Minister David Coltart has criticised the increase in the tax for money transfers saying the government wants to make the poor pay for its wastefulness in the use of resources. Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube on Monday increased the money transfer tax from 5 cents per a transaction to 2 percent of the transaction.
Coltart also said that the poor would be the ones who bear the brunt of any belt-tightening measures while the “obscenely wealthy ruling elite†would not be affected. Coltart called on the opposition to reorganise and regroup so that it will be in a position to lead the country. Writing on his Facebook page, Coltart said:
“Tendai Biti left a domestic debt of $200 million when he left office in 2013. This awful regime has raked up a debt of $5 billion in one year and some $10 billion in total since Biti left office.
Now it intends on taxing the poor to pay for its profligacy. It is also separating US$ accounts from whatever Micky Mouse money accounts it has concocted. You can rest assured that Ministers and other senior members of ZANUPF will have access to forex, whereas the vast majority will not. I am reliably informed that President Mnangagwa has just taken delivery of some 20 center pivots on his farm near Kwe Kwe. Center pivots cost around $50000 each so where did that $1 million in forex come from, when most Zimbabweans cannot even get forex to pay for foreign medical and educational bills?
One thing we know from 38 years of ZANU-PF misrule is that the belt-tightening will only be done by poor Zimbabweans, not the obscenely wealthy ruling elite.
Now more than ever is the time for the MDC to rebuild and consolidate so that we are in a position to take over government and rebuild our country at the earliest possible opportunity.”