The National Airports Corporation has introduced a new Infrastructure and Development charge in addition to the current departure tax and security tax.
All passengers departing from KK , Mfuwe, Harry Mwaanga and Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe airports are now required to pay the new tax, effective immediately.
International passengers departing from these airports will be required to pay K52.80 (about US $10.00) and domestic passengers, K26.70 (about $5.00).
Tickets issued before 15 June 2013 will be exempt from the new tax.
Schedule passengers with a ticket issued after 15 June 2013 booked via one of the major Global Distribution Systems will have the tax included in their ticket.
Earlier this year at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, President Michael Sata opposed the introduction of a US$10 tax on air tickets purchased by travellers leaving or entering the African continent as a measure to help fund the African Union.
The president explained that Zambia was working towards promoting her tourism industry and that this will not be achieved if the ticket and accommodation levy was introduced.
“We would like to attract tourism in Zambia, if hotels become expensive, then some people are going to rise against us, the airlines are going to be less profitable,” the President explained.
President Sata said Zambia wants to encourage people doing business and attract more tourists to visit the country.
The air ticket levy was among the two proposals suggested by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjoo’s panel during a meeting held in Addis Ababa . The second option suggested to introduce a US$2 hospitality levy applicable on all hotel accommodations within Africa.
Is this not the same levy that Ukwa vehemently opposed at the last AU meeting?
Ati UKWA …..But Shaka taumfwa… hahahahahhahahahha..
the tax he opposed was to fund the AU but this one is to be used on infrastructure development in zambia.its the same amount and is likely to have the same effect on tourism but its better as it will be used in zambia unlike in ethiopia
This new tax is just same forest different monkies.The $10 for AU and $10 for zambian infrastructure has exactly equal effect as what chi Sata was protesting.
Introduce Hut tax in the villages, cattle tax, chicken tax, pigs tax, tax someone for their life, as it was in colonial if you have no money. This is what made people poor and fight for Independence and others trekked
Taxation is law and if it is done without approval then the govt is breaking the law.
More Taxes, No visible development.
Iwe chi Mzambia wa zamani, is it not better to make a budget at home with your wife than to go to Zambia Association of Poverty Alleviation (ZAPA), give them your money and expect miracles in your house? Lisukulu lyashani muyako kanshi?
There is a security tax which was introduced about 3 years ago to improve airport security. I stand corrected but it is about $2 dollars and KK Int airport processes an average of 1 million passengers a year, give or take, meaning they raise 2 million dollars a year through this tax. In the last 3 years I have not seen any improvement in airport security and I doubt that any current improvements have cost this much. One wonders where all this money is going!
part of more cash in the pockets scheme
I still want to know where the current airport tax goes.
To make the airport beautiful and maintain all the advanced facilities like new name signs, etc.
@Spuds, I have never seen anything new at our airports. Help me, could it be that I am blind? The things you are mentioning in answer to Kate’s question look too petty or subjective to me. ‘To make the airport beautiful, name signs, maintain all advanced facilities’? Is any of our airports beautiful, if so, how beautiful? advanced facilities?? name signs?? Where does the current airport tax go??
Dude, Bonaparte…. take a sarcasm pill, OK?
Sarcasm at its best…lol
@ Spuds, I won’t sleep tonight until you provide me with something good enough to be taken as an answer to Kate’s question. I have been using our airports for some time now. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you. The sarcasm pill won’t help me but yourself will. At least you are not in the US by chance. You can at least produce some facts, stats, or even point at one of the things you initially mentioned. I have no big problem with the tax but the govt or yourself should provide some answers on where the current airport tax goes before we keep filling their pockets with more money.
Where do you think the money comes from to pay the airport staff. pay the power bills, maintain the radars, general facilities and pay for expensive proprietary software to run the equipment. and then some for the corrupt bosses. It’s very expensive to just run an airport even without building new infrastructure.
The chamba Ukwa smokes… means continuous loss of memory. He does not remember what he said when and where…
And Zambians call him a president
Infrastructure development is the new excuse for fleecing off people!
Noooooooooooooooo…
Flip Flop Flip Flop Flip Flop. Even my patapata sometimes stops this irritating noise. Is U-Turning an integral part of Sata? There are only two things he is consistent in: Tribalism and Nepotism.
Ukwa is the name, hence the U-turns!!!!!!!!
As usual the president went to the AU and just spoke from his head rather than from the policy perspective because the reason he gave can’t be defended now. maybe he should have just said we don’t want to use tax ticket to fund AU but we would rather use it to fund our own needs.
Ok, I don’t mean what I have written, am just trying to Spin Doctor an already bad situation of the president talking without thinking, hopefully this works
It’s hard being Sakani in this Government. I pitty the chap
What amazes me about Zambians is you would rather pay £97 tax on an economy flight from the UK, but complain about a $10 tax meant to improve the infrastructure of their own airport. How do you honestly hope to develop your own country when you criticise anything constructive?
In ten years nothing would have improved… you should understand why people are not interested in this BUFI. The road levy on fuel has it improved roads in Zambia? Its been there for more than 15 years. Now you are borrowing money for roads. Were has the road levy gone in the last 15 years?
What improvements are there at the airport honestly
@Darcey, we complain because we know where the money will go…….funding bye elections
“Darcey” you seem to be the only blind mouse that is NOT AWARE THAT THERE IS SUCH A TAX ALREADY IN PLACE!! SO NOW WE HAVE TWO DEPARTURE TAXES – DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO YOU??? What would have been sensible would be to increase what is in place already! Now could someone tell us what has happened to Departure Tax 1 – coz it was INTRODUCED FOR EXACTLY THE SAME REASON!!!!!!
For a Presido & his Full cabinet NOT TO REALISE THAT THEY ALREADY HAVE SUCH A TAX IN PLACE BEGGARS BELIEF!!! It seems the rest of cabinet either just sits & listens to Ukwa & ululates alternatively, NO ONE IS ABLE TO LOOK HIM IN THE EYE & QUESTION HIM – I will not be surprised if one day we have a presido with his birthday suit on show!!!
Ba Ukutumpa. Kwena mwali tumpa ichachine! That is exactly what has been done! The only difference will be these taxes will be used fund infrastructure development. And why should we not increase the taxes when we are collecting is not enough? I who travels to Zambia once every two months will not complain as long as I see these funds being utilized for their intended purposes. Why are Zambians so prejudiced? Why are you already assuming that this money will be used for salaries or by-elections? Stop whinging and help develop our country!
“L’ourson”, I appreciate your IGNORANCE!!! I also appreciate YOUR DYSLEXIA going by your incongruous statement. I did allude to the FACT THAT ALREADY EXISTENT TAX HAD NOT BEEN INCREASED – But of course your DYSLEXIA GOT THE BETTER OF YOU! What more can one say, I rest my case!!!!!
Clever tatic Mr President more like King Lewanika who gave mineral prospecting concessions to land which was not his & got royalties for it whislt insulating his Barotseland from prospectors. Except this time Govt has stolen/thwarted an attempt to fleece Zambia and other African countries of money that would have been spent in Addis Ababa and Abuja! Perhaps the plan was already muted in Zambia and Obasanjo was seen to be putting the spanners in the works.
Kate the airport tax goes to some muppets pockets. Next they will introduce arrival fees, what a country!!
This is just another reason why Sata needs to hold a press conference and eloquently explain himself, he was eager to do that in Addis why not in Zambia? He vigorously opposed Africa Union tax on ONLY International flights entering and leaving the continent (not regional flights) instead of just negotiating it yet he is more than happy to slap a tax on all flights leaving the the country. The question is; what is this gov’t going to use all that money saved from the removal of subsidises.
They have run out of money for bye elections now they want to bleed us to death. God help us
The situation is as tense as it is in Brazil!!!
The current government lacks vision, you don’t just wake up today and make a decision like this one no matter how attractive the purpose could be. When you opposed the introduction of the above tax, you had a reason. Now what has happened to that reason? How are you going to promote tourism industry? Tell us please so that we don’t just follow you i darkness
There Ukwa stealing other people’s ideas, I think he thought about it
Hard after opposing the levy at EU and realized hey we have no money
Why can’t we do that
I thought we do have a budget reserve to the tune of billions of dollars.Why punish the people that bring you money Kanshi ba UKWA.Just admit money has been wasted on induced elections,Chakopa,Dick Masebo and now Sibongile
pf is broke. period.
poverty.
This Gvt is taking care of the future generation not you serious losers.Ukwa show da whole world u duped children,women men and bold headed men…Bufi has induced his thinkng to all his Ministers..Next generation not imweee
may your souls rest in peace…peace..
The Zambian airport take a share from the £100 paid in the uk. its like paying twice for the same service. If you are boarding from Zambia you pay the tax. This is another tax traveller will have to pay. someone should explain this tax properly otherwise its daylight robbery.
What a stupid way for more daylight robbery!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought taxation is law, has this been approved by parliament?
Sata said you will reduce taxes when voted into???? Chikwanda did not mention that the government will raise so much from airport tax. It is criminal to tax someone without approval of parley.
So the govt is actually stealing?????????
So whoever goes to UTH tax, Walking on the street TAX, inhaling oxygen TAX, Fating in the street TAX.
Actually you remind me of hut tax, Let us tax the villagers for Huts, Chickens, Cows, Pigs PF there is money there.
Ulimukali!!! How much will the tax on ‘farting in the streets’ be????????????
PhD at work. Mind you!!!! Sata introduced tax for spiting in the streets and urinating?
nangu ma mnkey tricks, te ifi. This kolwe tried to make point at the AU, iyo we don’t like airport fees, Zambia will not be part, 2 months later he does exactly the opposite?
That’s called stealing ideas that in the end have the same negative effects on our country. We need someone with creative and innovative ideas that will encourage tourism and not the suggested levy. Going backwards…
If they are serious about infrastructure and are accountable to the Public by not misusing money why not collect windfall taxes.
Doesn’t matter how much you tax if you have nyanis and nugus running our govt no visible result will come.Even Nigeria with its billions of petrodollars hasn’t been able to have world class infrastructure bcoz it is run by thieves and monkeys just like our current govt.
Is there a site i can discuss with Level headed brains than at WATCHDOG, LT, TUMFWEKO full of insults, lies, half baked blogs?
Fellow Zambians te ifi!
Natendwa!
You can try the post
Watershed, I’ll suggest a simple solution for you. If you are bored, just go and scratch your balls, that’s all.
Solola Bye!
Budget overruns period. some experts are telling you that you have a “Burst” budget that has or is collapsing and you are refusing. you say one thing at AU and you do another here. hypocrits!. this is governance bwana, it requires thinking and planning and not just getting excited about the so called development.
This is a very decent move.I would like to see well developed infrastructure at lusaka international airport.However, accountability of the funds collected is where am having issues with.Very soon airport staff will get salary increaments of more than 100percent from the same funds meant for development.Can we have a separete account for the funds collected so that the funds are propely channeled to infrasture development maybe one day we will have an oppotunity to use a self checking machine at lusaka international aiport.
I would like to hear comments from the following concerning their arguments when Sata opposed this at the AU: Kaponyas, Yikes, Osmore, Nine Chale, Keep Calm, Peter Chimena, Tropicana, SK, The prince and Chimbwi with a Plan
UKWA leading the unTENcommandment Zambia#while
Thought this govt was for less taxes. What a govt of shifting posts, one moment opposing the next moment taking on board the same measure. This is where the money for infrastructure may come from and not suspending subsidies.
Ideas are cheap, so here is a suggestion to government to deal with over expenditure and recover some money! GRZ must conduct a staff audit with all its ministries and fish out some ghost employees.There could be some chaps who left government, maybe in diaspora even decades ago but salaries may still be going into their accounts in Zambia. I hope GRZ has a system to check this out and ensure it is not happenening. If some fellas will be cought accessing money even when they have left GRZ or the country, they must be made to pay back.
African Union and Republic of Zambia are different from each other. Funding internal national development here in Zambia through air ticket taxation is not the same as funding AU budget. It is not helpful to mix up issues. AU will also come. First deal with internal national development. Is that clear or not? Bringing General Obasanjo into focus is an act of distortion. It is also an act of misinformation. The infrastructure development will certainly meet many avoidable casualties along the way.
Next it will be the newly constructed stadiums.The Ndola Stadium,Lusaka Stadium,L/Stone and Mongu Stadium to keep them well maintained all Soccer Fans will have to pay Terrances Tax.This is because Govt has No money. Watch this space for yr future reference.
More money and less taxes. There u go.
Isn’t parliament supoosed to play some kind of role on this matter?
Electing a president who is not educated or exposed is the same as having a ride in a car with your retarded friend or relative driving it, and at high speed.
Your life is at high risk, and this is what is obtaining in zed. You dont feel safe at all- on the roads, hospitals, dirty all over with potential for disease epidemics, crime is high, politics of hatred etc.