Outgoing Law Association of Zambia President Linda Kasonde has described the newly introduced Borehole Tax as a completely absurd tax.
Ms. Kasonde who is also a Tax Lawyer and Partner at Mulenga Mundashi Kasonde & Company said is actually quite unconscionable and completely outrageous that Zambians are being taxed for the Council’s failure to provide a service for which they pay rates or taxes for.
In a series of Tweets, Ms. Kasonde observed that the only reason people get boreholes is because they either do not get a regular supply of water from the Council or it does not supply them with water at all. She said if the Council supplied a regular and consistent supply of water to all citizens, they would not be having this conversation.
“The cost of electricity to run a borehole pump is more than it costs to get Council water. Regulating boreholes is not the same as taxing them. You can regulate how many boreholes can be in a given area e.g. per sq km or how deep they should go. But you can’t tax someone for something you’re failing to provide,” Ms. Kasonde stated.
“Next they’ll tax us for using generators and inverters when there’s no power. I’m probably giving them ideas!” she wrote cheekily.
Yesterday, Minister of Water, Sanitation and Environmental Protection, Dennis Wanchinga, said that the regulation of ground water as a resource has been misunderstood and a lot of wrong information has been put up on social media.
Dr. Wanchinga disclosed that in line with the provisions of the water resource management Act number 21 of 2011, government is implementing the newly issued Statutory Instrument in order to regulate the harvesting of underground water.
Dr. Wanchinga said this when he officiated at this year’s World Water Day held under the theme “Nature for Water”, in Kabwe.
Dr. Wanchinga said unfortunately, the issue has been misunderstood with some people peddling a lot of wrong information through social media intended at misleading the masses.
He said his Ministry will very soon issue very strong and comprehensive clarifications over the matter to protect the people from misinformation.
The Minister said people are being told that anybody with a borehole will have to pay K800 every month which is totally untrue.
Dr. Wanchinga explained that all government is doing is to ensure that every borehole in the country is registered in order to be able to estimate ground water harvesting and keep track of boreholes for sustainable management of the water resource.
He added that people with boreholes will only be required to pay registration fee once in a life time of that respective borehole or household.
Dr. Wanchinga further said government is aware that it has not provided water to every household in all areas and that some people live on farm lands and may need to drill boreholes while some may even have to dig wells depending on their capacities.
He further added that, government position is that people should not use well water for drinking unless they are sure it is safe.
The Minister observed that in heavily populated areas in Lusaka, shallow wells are one of the drivers of the Cholera outbreak.
Dr. Wanchinga warned people promoting wrong information to stop spreading falsehood adding that, government does not intend to over burden people with water taxes apart from registration fee.
He noted with gratitude that government has demonstrated commitment to ensuring that the country accelerate its efforts for the realisation of the national vision 2030 that aims at making the country a middle prosperous income by 2030.
He noted with gratitude??
Completely unnecessary tax, this is equivalent to the hut tax which colonialists imposed on our forefathers then. You fail to provide water and some body uses his hard earned cash to drill a borehole and you tax them,completely beyond comprehension
Ati MUMBA BR, is this your SMART Zambia you yap about everyday on this forum? KIKIKIKIKIKI
Linda, bye!
Next to be taxed are those with SOLAR PANELS.
PF00Lish govt is really vision-less like their thief of a Malawian leader.
– They campaigned that they would put more money in our pockets but now we have absurd taxes, toll gates & have indebted the country to the tune of $23-Billion
– They campaigned that they would govern based on 10-commandments but now they encourage stealing ati “ulya mwibala”
– They campaigned that they would chase away corrupt Chinese but today Zambia has the largest population of Chinese outside China & have auctioned the country to tu m cho-cho-lee
Stupidity, I will not pay. `only if the Government can show me where they `paid or created rain. `nonsense and alter foolishness. Lungu is even quite as if this is normal.
But what type of lawyers do we have in this country? She is commenting on this topic without even bothering to read the Act!
Useless bee each, quite glad to see her back
Linda this is the kind of battles you’re supposed to fight. …not those on behalf of someone we know. If a demonstration is organized I will join. It’s like a man has decided not to marry, then you say you’ll be taxing him for being single. I got fed with Nkana Water and Sewerage because they would issue fake bills or fail to supply water for two days. I don’t have such worries now because I’m free from these inconveniences.
Why is the impeachment motion delayed? This becomes very urgent now, to bring these painful taxes to a halt
NI DUNUNA FYE!!
Welcome to Zambia the failed State.
These VISIONLESS. P.F Kombwe’s will then use the revenues collected from this shoddy Borehole Tax to book limousines when abroad, & evacuate already wealthy Corrupt officials to hospitals abroad, rather than invest in their Health care system, or properly manage their Councils.
You were warned by the embezzling crooked suspended Lawyer, “I have NO VISION”
The trouble with us, Zambians is an insatiable desire for free things as long as they relate to government! You gladly buy your 500ml bottle of water for K3 and yet when the water utility company asks you to pay K2 for a whole drum of water you still complain. Who told you water is not a resource? Waters, just like land is a serious resource that must be regulated! Ask South Africans. And in any case some of the bloggers here complaining or as usual insulting have not even read the Act or regulations. Please take time to READ! It is not every borehole that must be paid for! There are categories.
More taxes than incomes in zambia
the key word is regulation and to regulate it means man power, that man power needs to be paid. therefore my learned lawyer has one thing correct and then twisted it because of her clouded views of GRZ. the water sector needs to be self regulating by providing its own resources to regulate the industry without further stress on the treasury. think of it as an inspection fee.
To regulate doesn’t necessarily mean to tax people on boreholes. Whoever will be working on this is ored a civil servant meaning no payments to be paid. This government has failed to provide safe and clean water to its people through its councils. Councils get land rates, service charges from us and do nothing to service our plots. Get a leaf from zesco, they are very much ahead. These taxes you’re pressing in us will eventually make you lose a little voters.
Imfumu nga yapena, abekalamushi tabeshiba bwangu bcoz of you. You support even weird thinking!
Bushe Tamumweene at imfumu naipena?
So Ba Daudi, why do we pay all those staff at department of water affairs? Cann’t they manage to regulate the sector.
You see, we are creating too many quasi government authorities like WARMA and that thing called teaching council. These are just taking over the responsibility of established Government ministries like the ministry of education.
Soon we will see the impact of over regulation! no progress and innovation as citizen find it too hard to put their ideas to test!
Anyway, Once HH comes, akafinkontolola. Twachula pafula
in addition borehole owners will pay one off. More like service charge. I doubt the learned collegue even the IS. Going with the Wind despite the education. Bye bye Linda.
What is absurd is that borehole drilling was unregulated! People are drinking faeces and getting cholera. This can’t continue.
Linda Hakasonde Bye. you are now going where you belong to UPND .You Man friend HH has already reserved a position in his Party , I will tel Mutinta to be watch out though Tonga women they Dont care even if Haby has 50 Women
Was sold that Linda was non-partisan. But now that she is ranting rather than providing facts to chastise the PF Govt, I see that she was surreptitiously polititicking. Now she is showing full blown red gumu gumu.
Every borehole owner will tell you that electricity cost for pumping water is a tenth of the water bill. Otherwise how would water companies make a return if their input costs were higher than the cost of their product?
World over councils levy boreholes for regulatory costs and to ensure equity to water access e.g. Cape Town and J-burgh. In Lusaka, some private boreholes yield more water than what some compounds consume. So just because one has a borehole then they should freely suck communal water for their inside heated pool, outside one, ornamental fish ponds and…
jacuzzis, landscaped gardens e.t.c while the council boreholes get starved to pump enough water for the masses.
Dunderhead red gumu gumu smarting in nerd spectacles!!
What will this borehole tax mean to an ordinary Zambian? Remember, we pay toll gate fees and are told the monies realised with nothing to show where that same money goes
Boza eka eka. Look at issues the way they are. Eastern water has no capacity to supply chipata city and highlands plot is one clear example. So how can l pay for the so called registration fee.
@ The man Do
Your reasoning is flawed, mate. Do we have to be taxed directly for every piece of regulation?
T.H.I.E.V.E.S at it. They will not stop taking away from poor zambians. At BOREHOLE TAX. Kuti Waseka Pa Zed. What a nation. Next they will come up with T.O.I.L.E.T Tax. I am sure they will do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Next will be sex Tax .
Taxing people for their failures is very bad. Please let’s learn to think b4 we act
If you are saying the fee is a one off registration fee….K800 is toooooo high.
That is now stealing to fund your pf stealing for sure…..K200 or K150 is a more reasonable registration fee.
Next it will be solar panel Taxation.
I thought it went away! It is still around?
We are subjected to too much taxes….VAT, PAYE,EXERCISE TAX,LAND RATES,MOTOR VEHICLE, TOLL GATE, CARBON,LANDLORDS, and the would be Health insurance, borehole, toilets e.t.c. Twafwa!!!!!!
Tax us as much as you can, maybe we may start paying attention to governments reckless spending, corruption, embezzlement and misapplication of funds than ever before!!
What is disappointing is that Linda has spoken like a politician when what is expected of her is what the Law says. People have digging boreholes without approval from the Water Affairs Department, a requirement that has been in the statutes from long ago. The fact that many people have ignored this Law looks like it’s something new. People only follow the Law when they want to build dams or divert rivers but the Law applies to boreholes as well
I have respect for Linda Kasonde as a lawyer but when she begins talking about town planning matters I have a huge problem with that. Does Linda know the number of boreholes dug in close proximity to pit latrines or septic tanks? Boreholes were the major cause of the last cholera outbreak because of untreated water supply. Any credible government should take action against illegal boreholes or people that chose to build houses in the middle of roads. If citizens can’t obey simple instructions, they need to be regulated via legislation or a Tax. Bring that tax on please.
Soon you will receive rain, drought and flooding tax. Do these people actually understand how tax works?
What a disaster for the sleeping councils. You fail to provide water and tax people for finding an alternative to solving the very problem you are supposed to solve. I feel the boma is slowly getting mad. Everything ni tax and just where does the cash go to. Projects all over the country are being funded by the Chinese and we know it. We are taxed from every corner.They have just failed to tax God for providing underground water. Now its tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax tax…
This is what happens when appetite outgrows your wallet now the neighbours have to get involved mu vaupuba. Its not about registering boreholes and yada yada yada. This is simply about money, cold hard buy your third sidechick a vitz money!