Zimbabwean Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa has reportedly accused black businesses of refusing to pay taxes and yet “expect government to provide them with public services”.
Chinamasa said this, as he challenged Members of Parliament (MPs) to offer constructive suggestions to help the government increase its revenue inflows, a News Day report said.
The finance minister was responding to the MPs during debate on the 2017 National Budget early this week.
“If you do not want to be taxed, please do not shout and expect better service delivery. Our people in the informal sector do not want to be taxed. When a black person takes over a business, they do not want to pay taxes,” Chinamasa was cited as saying.
Zimbabwe has been hit by severe economic hardships for over a decade.
A Herald report quoted the minister as saying that the country’s major challenge was that its wage structure was too high compared to other countries. news24