LIVESTOCK POLICIES SHOULD BE BASED ON EMPIRICAL DATA By Natasha Mhango

Ministry of National Planning Permanent Secretary Mushuma Mulenga
and; Fisheries and Livestock Permanent Secretary Dr. David Shamulenge
during the official dissemination of the census results

The livestock and aquaculture sub-sectors continue to face a number of challenges that are slowing down their growth. In 2017, a report by the Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources that was presented to Parliament, attributed a knowledge gap and consequently low livestock productivity to inadequate research that would enable improved technologies and animal husbandry practices.

 The report acknowledged that the livestock sub-sector was under exploited and yet also a very important part of the agricultural economy. Later in the year, K50 million was disbursed to conduct a livestock and aquaculture census – an exercise that had never been carried out since the 1970s.

This was the first step towards assessing the potential of the livestock and fisheries subsector, respectively,

SALES TAX AND AGRIBUSINESS - YAH OR NAY? By Natasha Mhango

Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe & ZNFU President Jervis

Zimba during a sales tax consultative meeting with agricultural stakeholders

(Picture by:Chileshe Kandeta -Ministry of Finance)

The introduction of sales tax in Zambia is being perceived with various concerns by the business community. The Ministry of Finance has been embarking on sensitization visits with different stakeholders to ensure that the sales tax and its implications are correctly understood.

Last week, the sensitization visit was with agricultural stakeholders predominantly agro dealers and commercial farmer associations. 

In her opening remarks, Minister of Finance, Margaret Mwanakatwe, said that the introduction of sales tax was one effective way to create fiscal space for economic growth. The Minister explained that the kind of sales tax that the government was trying to introduce was one that they refer to as a ‘hybrid sales tax’ in which they have combined the best of value-added tax (VAT) and the best of sales tax.