By: Anthony Bwalya – UPND Member
From the onset, I wish to challenge the PF administration to deny that this is not true and proceed to providing the public with a figure of how much taxpayers have lost in fraudulent public sector payroll management.
But I wish to assure the public, that the figure presented is even an understatement of the scale of the actual plunder perpetrated by this careless PF regime.
When President Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND indicated that we would deliver an unprecedented 5 year $1.5 billion personal and SME taxation reform plan, the Patriotic Front (PF) contemptuously laughed off the idea as a fantasy. We clearly indicated, that the $1.5 billion tax reform plan would be paid for through:
1. An upward adjustment of the lower tax exempt threshold from the current K3,300 to K4,000. This plan is expected to cover the losses of up to K605 per month which households have incurred since 2011 owing to surges in the prices of basic commodities and a slow down in the growth of wages.
2. A 10% reduction in the upper tax bracket from the current 37.5% to 22.5%. This is intended to motivate hard work and excellence, but also provide further relief for households.
3. Relief on business levies and taxation for qualifying SMEs for purposes of allowing them smooth transition to growth and expansion, targeting a no obligation period of up to 5 years.
A combination of these measures alone is expected to reduce household poverty and inequality by allowing families more lattitude to spend on what matters most to them – education, health, food, housing and other services such as water and electricity, whose cost has spiked under the PF.
It is also expected that SMEs will for once be able to invest in business expansion and growth without being punished for good business decision making. This is how we expect to create more jobs and generate more household based incomes at a very basic micro economic level.
Now the reason the PF are quick to dismiss such progressive reforms is because they would rather be drawing money out of the incomes of individuals, households and small businesses and into their own private pockets and other party mobilisation agendas.
We now know that over $15 million is dubiously siphoned and shared out every month among senior civil servants, ministers and the party through the irregularly management of public sector payroll. In fact, the issue of ghost workers is NOT an accident. This is a carefully threaded scheme to steal money using the employment credentials of those long retired, the dead, the transferred and those newly employed.
This is a scheme well known to Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Departmental directors and middle management civil servants. This is why it has taken over 8 years for the PF to have this conversation. In fact, it is the shrinking fiscal space and the pressure on public sector payroll that caused an internal outcry by some good civil servants about this issue.
The UPND is looking to leverage sound public financial management, cutting edge expertise and looking to achieve a less than 35% public sector wage bill of the total budget.
We want to call upon Zambians to believe that something else is different in terms of public leadership.
The kind of new normal the PF want to indoctrinate into the hearts and minds of Zambians is a fraud and a scheme that will injure and steal from many, the prospects of a better future.
2021 is the year we all decide different.
Changing of government will not change any solution, our mind set should be reformed by making sure we focus on farming and by thining outside the box by becoming our boss for Zambia is for all of us and belongs to us.
This african notion that when a party stays in power for long time, it will finish the projects they have started or found is misplaced, how come nations that have had political parties ruling them since independence e.g chamamapinduzi in TZ or zanu pf in ZIMZIM, why are their economies not first world status, yet america and britain where presidents and prime ministers are changed like underpants, the economic progress is there for all blind eyes to see.
When I saw the name Anthony Bwalya, I couldn’t progress to read the article
How can we have 400 ghost workers on the Copperbelt alone? Anyway, luge said , ubomba mwibala, all mwibala. There is not leadership from Edgar sometime I doubt he knows he is president. Can he go and spend a month with Kagame (on tax payers account), please
Correction. Ghost workers did not come with PF. There were ghos t workers in UNIP and MMD. I tell you the phase is not new. Don’t argue you were not there
This moroon Anthony Bwalya is decampaigning UPND…he seems to the have characteristics of PF bandits….the same thieves Zambians are getting rid of in 2021…I see thieves like Anthony Bwalya Surrounding HH already and being vocal….hopping to be appointed once HH forms govt so that they continue the same PF bandit trends of stealing tax payers money….anthony Bwalya is a known crooook on the copperbelt….even worse than PF bandits. HH should be careful with these type of individuals otherwise they will make him lose elections for the 7th time
Ba Bwalya it’s only now you are learning of ghost workers, they have been there for a very long time since the unip era! It’s only now that the government is able to clean the vices due to use of smart technologies. The civil service is not only PF but Zambians, unfortunately upnd considers PF and its supporters as non Zambians who should be banished from the country at all cost.
Imwe ba LT, have you employed this upnd clown as your source of expert analysis? We all know pf is useless and full of outright bandits but we should not be hearing about this from the same moron day in day out.
the boy Anthony Bwalya is an allarmist
@1.5,1.6,1.7,1.8 For you the name suggests that he is from PF or he is looking for a promotion…? YOU ARE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MISERY THE COUNTRY IS GOING THROUGH BCOZ YOU BELIEVE THERE ARE NO GOOD PEOPLE WHO CAN SUPPORT A GENUINE CAUSE!! How do you even judge him, may be HH and Bwalya know each other, may from a long time ago?? Bwalya’s argument is very well supported with figures, please say something concrete against that other than the name and other far fetched speculation ! YOU ARE THE ONES MAKING PEOPLE FAIL TO SEE HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER AS ZAMBIANS TO END OUR MISERY BCOZ DESPITE FIGURES SPEAKING FOR THEMSELVES, YOU TRY TO PUT A SPIN OF WHAT IS CLEAR BY PAINTING IT OTHERWISE;Tribal,opportunistic,PF spy etc..!!
PF disgusting Headlines
‘Kaizer Zulu Left Me Half Dead With Broken Jaw – Beaten Driver’
‘President Lungu Is Hardworking, Stop Blaming Him On National Calamities Says Tutwa Ngulube’
‘We feel sorry for Lungu because he does not sleep, says Lusambo’- LIES
‘Govt will get $2.03bn loan from China for Chipata-Serenje Railway project, reveals Minister’- LIES
HaAnthony HaBwalya, How much money has been taken out of Zambia by the Privatisation Thief? How much money has been done as money laundering by the same thief? How much money he got as kickbacks over inside trading by the Little Boy of yours? How much money was he given by his fellow lobbyists of sex HAGAINST the Horder of Nature to run for presidency? The good news is that he is UNELECTABLE.
Kamanga is the only person that must join Under Five to the MUSEUM.
Kachema sobweshe impanga, soshipele amenshi na mulemfwe usuma, wileka shiye ichyeyeye….
I dont know why this song by the late Father Ntalasha keeps playing in my mind as I watch zambians struggle.
“If President HAZALUZA HAGAIN were president of Zambia, Zambia will be like PARADISE PAPERS!” HaATHONTHY HaBwalya. The good news is that the little boy is still an UNDER FIVE CARD.
That is true.Zambian govt doesn’t want to embrace technology.It’s so sad guys.$800M for only civil servants.Civil servants have destroyed this country.Civil servants help ministers how to steal.We have civil servants who want to be rich.We have no systems in this govt.Ba Lungu use technology to end stealing.
I have liked the following points:
1. An upward adjustment of the lower tax exempt threshold from the current K3,300 to K4,000.
2. A 10% reduction in the upper tax bracket from the current 37.5% to 22.5%. This is intended
3. To achieve a less than 35% public sector wage bill of the total budget.
These were the numbers we expected in the 2020 budget, at least some tax relief for civil servants. How can servants stop stealing when they are heavily taxed? The highest threshold for PAYE in Botswana for example is 25%! Why should Zambians endure taxes of 50% in real terms? That’s madness! It’s even worse for Council workers with bank loans. All salary arrears go to debt servicing. We have been told of Ghost workers. What Zambians need to ask is how much has been lost through Ghost workers since PF came Mwibala compared to years before 2011? Since politicians are liars and numbers don’t lie, lets talk numbers!
PF is failed project driving the Zambians into an abyss.
My question is where will UPND get the money for the deficit from these tax reliefs and many other reliefs proposed? Just assuming this will be realised from civil servants ghost wages to me is not enough.
There is already too much money in Zambia! UPND or whoever forms the next government just needs to address the massive stealing going on! We need to stop believing that PF lie that says there is no money! If it’s true there is no money, why is PF ordering all the expensive jets?
LET’S ROLL!
The smart Zambian enterprise is well & truly working -“Full throttle reverse gear”!!
MW@NY4!!!
Meanwhile uko allegations surfacing ati, J0n@’s resident State House pugilist – Boxer K4!Z3r Zu1u has just KNOCKED OUT an innocent citizen going about doing his job.
IF THIS IS “TULU”, J0n@ is complicit, & enabling his brute K4!Zer to be infringing on citizens rights, & he will have to face the law, when out of office, coz J0n@ swore to protect citizens rights, when he was inaugurated.
WHAT DOES THIS K4IZ3R NEED TO DO TO BE RELIEVED OF HIS DUTIES IN NATIONAL INTEREST??
Commit G3n0cide maybe?
All those attacking Anthony for bringing up ghost workers and salaries are either ghost workers themselves or beneficiaries. Someone even goes to the extent of saying ghost workers have been here since unip days. Question is what did you do about it. Yet someone says Anthony is decampaigning UPND…how? By speaking out about the rot in our society? I would encourage Anthony not to listen to these dull people but continue bringing up and analyzing these issues. I really enjoy your intelligent analysis of issues unlike people like Sunday chanda and Antonio Mwanza. Keep up the good work…zambia needs critical thinkers like. We have a lot of kaponyas
No wonder some boot lickers can make donations believed to be potential proceeds of crime! From stealing phones to owning big mansions and making lavish big donations, eish!
Zambians, did you vote PF into power to receive dubious donations from them? Why have you allowed yourselves to be reduced to beggars? What will it take Zambians to begin to demand for accountability from their leaders? It’s so depressing to see the robbed thanking bandits for donations of change! Wake up Zambians, shibukeni!
Upnd has succeeded in painting PF black. Gullible people really believe PF have ransacked the economy. The only problem is they have failed to convince the populace that they are the alternative and show how they will improve the country. That’s why people still vote for PF; upnd has failed to prove that they are the alternative. Such articles with false information is only convincing people that upnd is capable of great evil once given power.
Even if UPND yaps like mad dogs ,it will not form government in 2021.Regardless the economic situation PF still stand a better chance of winning 2021 general elections.UPND has for ever failed to unite Zambians.They planted a tree of tribalism which is hitting back to them because Other ethnic groups are doing same.Even now their political ideology is full of tribal remarks instead of preaching unity .Its unfortunately,that economy has affected the running of t the government to the point of having many people get into frustration and disappointed.
This gentleman is mad. You’re planning to reduce tax on the highest earners by 10percent instead of increasing the tax threshold. Do you know that you will be widening the gap between the high and low earners. You sound more of an alarmist than someone Shroud in critical analysis. As someone has said above, you are just trying hard to be noticed. Anyway, continue with your hallucinations
The issue of ghost workers especially in the public sector has been with us since the Kaunda days. It is largely due to the archaic centralised payroll system employed. There is a similar scum with FISP in the agricultural sector where you have briefcase farmers accessing inputs meant for peasants. This is perpetrated by civil servants – headteachers, extension officers accounts clerks e.t.c. in various ministries of government.
It’s not like the genius in Mr Anthony Bwalya – UPND Member has just discovered the rot (like David Livingstone discovered the Victoria Falls)!
Efforts to computerise and clean up the payroll system have been instituted, albeit very slowly.
It is plain to see Anthony Bwalya has jumped the gun with the help of some sycophant civil servants of the water melon…
Your comment is spot on, the issue of ghost workers has been with us for a long time but became worse since adoption multipartism as the MMD in particular removed all legislation pertaining to the code of conduct of both politicians and civil servants which opened the door to these problems of fraud and corruption. It’s a case of government doing business with government. Bring back the leadership code please.
…persuasion who have passed on the leakage so he can sound smart.
Mr. Bwalya, one of the traits people abhor about your leader is “the know it all” attitude. You are also heading the same route and beginning to irritate people.
What you needed to expend your energies on should have been how you would put in measures to clean up the civil service of the unscrupulous servants and ensure efficiency and timely delivery of service!
The magnitude of theft under the PF has been unprecedented. This is just a tip of the iceberg. Yet, some people still choose to ‘defend’, defend’, defend. Well we know the reasons – it is also a clear indication of some people’s total disregard for the suffering and pain of others, as long as they themselves are partaking in this grand usurpation of resources.