Under pressure Ncube revises down toll fee increment, mulls the same for passports

HARARE – Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube has revised down to 50 percent his proposed tollgate fee increment for next year.

In the 2024 national budget presented last month, the Treasury chief had proposed to increase the fees by more than double, from US$2 to US$5 for light vehicles, for example.

But after being pressured in Parliament on Thursday, Ncube revised down the proposed increment for toll fees to 50 percent.

“We are proposing that rather than increasing the basic toll fee by 100%, I am now proposing that we increase it only by 50%. We have lowered the increase.

“The same applies to the premium roads, again I am not proposing the full amount but only half of that. So, we have lowered these toll fee increases,” he said.

“I also listened to a comment that perhaps tollgates that are closer to the city should have lower toll fees than elsewhere. We will look into this.

“It sounds like a noble proposal because some of the people who live out at the edge of the city or those who work in the city, if they are having to pay high toll fees, we do not want that. We want it to be fair and reflect the fact that the work here, we do not want to overly penalise those individuals,” he said.

Ncube said a similar downward revision of fees could be considered for passports, which he had proposed in the 2024 budget to raise from US$120 to $200 from January next year.

Again following representations from legislators, he said the passport fees could be pegged down to US$150 instead of US$200 earlier proposed.

“Someone proposed that rather than USD120 for an ordinary passport, let us make it USD150. It is a proposal, but for the express passport, the 24-hour passport, anyone who needs it urgently is often those who can afford it. That one should be USD250.

“I know one Hon. Member who proposed USD350, but let us make it USD250 and I think USD250 is okay,” he said.

In the budget proposals, Prof Ncube said additional revenue generated from toll and passport fee increases will be ring-fenced for road infrastructure development. New Ziana