Categories: Stories

Zimbabwe backtracks on taxing tobacco farmers

Zimbabwe today reversed its decision to tax tobacco famers after  they appealed to the government that the decision would cripple the industry.

According to The Herald, the decision was announced this afternoon by Agriculture Minister Joseph Made who said this had been agreed with Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa.

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority had ordered the industry board to withhold a 10 percent tax on gross sales of tobacco farmers who did not have tax clearance certificates.

Made urged farmers to continue delivering their crop assuring them that no one would be taxed.

He also said they should not blame ZIMRA because it was merely doing its legitimate job.

 “Farmers should not blame ZIMRA as it was working within the confines of the law. Farmers should go on with their business. Tobacco should continue to come to the floors especially now as we are approaching the Easter and Independence Day holidays,” he said.

 

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Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

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