Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa says one of the ways to fight corruption in the country will be to have life-style audits of Zimbabwe Revenue Authority personnel.
Presenting his 2018 budget, Chinamasa said: “The budget thrust to fight incidences of corruption should benefit from instituting of investigations on whistle blower information, and life style audits on ZIMRA personnel.”
He said there would also be life-style audits of all Public Office Holders to make sure that their lifestyle is commensurate with their level of income.
“Where it is palpably manifest that their asset base is inconsistent with their level of income, it must be incumbent upon that officer to give an account of their sources of income justifying their wealth,” he said.
“Failure to provide an adequate explanation by the office holder would result in an investigation into their financial affairs, should this be necessary.”
Below is what the minister proposed to address corruption and indiscipline:
Over the years, corruption had been threatening to spread unchecked, negatively affecting the social and moral fabric of the Nation.
Corruption and market indiscipline also increase the cost of doing business, and encourage rent seeking behaviour, thereby increasing hardships for the general public.
His Excellency, the President, in his Inauguration Speech, underscored that this syndrome will be decisively dealt with.
In this regard, the cleansing has begun, targeting unlawful and illegitimate deals and transactions, money laundering practices, externalisation of foreign currency and under-ground foreign exchange transactions, among other corrupt conducts.
Digitalisation of financial services needs to be speeded up, to make it difficult for people to engage in dishonest and corrupt practices.
Further intensification of Government interventions to curb incidences of corruption, plug revenue leakages, as well as arrest market indiscipline will also buttress the successful implementation of the 2018 Budget.
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