Contributing to the President’s speech, Misihairabwi-Mushonga said while she appreciated the lifting of restrictions on imports, it was ridiculous that the imports were being asked to pay duty with bond notes.
Zimbabwe lifted import restrictions on more than 30 products to ease shortages and hefty price hikes on the local market on 25 October.
“We have just said we have removed Statutory Instrument 122 but the ridiculousness of that decision is that we are still allowing people to bring in those imports and they are paying in the bond which has a fiction of 1:1,” she said.
“We should, at this particular point in time, have been able to get a lot of forex within this particular week where we removed S. I. 122 if we started saying anyone who is importing anything pays in foreign currency because when you import whether it is a car or food stuffs, it means you have foreign currency on you.
“So why are we having a situation where we subsidise the person who has gone out, used foreign currency and when they get to the border they do not pay using foreign currency?
“It is a no brainer to me and if we do that, by today or tomorrow, we would be having a lot of money in terms of forex – which forex we can then use in terms of the subsidies that we are trying to do.
“Madam Speaker, we cannot continue using foreign currency to import things like dyes. Many of us who are sitting here should be grey haired but our hair is looking dark – not because we are young but we are dying our hair.
“Somebody is using our special forex to go and buy dye and at this rate we may end up having to import sex toys. I suppose sex toys are alright because our males are struggling with the stress around that hence women may actually want sex toys. – [Laughter.] –
“What I am trying to get back to you Madam Speaker, is that let us have a situation where if you want expensive things – pay for them.”
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