Mansa Municipal Council says it expects to raise over K2, 6 billion revenue in its 2010 budget.
And the Council is contemplating engaging the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to help it collect taxes from small scale mining companies operating in the area.
Town Clerk Bwanga Kapumpa said the council will raise K 1 . 7 billion from rates on ratable properties and close to K700 million on trading licenses, permits and fire certificates.
The council also expects to collect over K140 million from parking and loading fees.
And the Council has said it would consider engaging the ZRA to assist it collect taxes from manganese mining firms operating in the district.
Mansa Town Clerk Bwanga Kapumpa said the firms engaged in mining activities in the district were not paying tax to the local authority n the area.
Mr. Kapumpa stated that the council could widen its tax base if the mining firms became organized and committed to paying taxes to the council.
He urged the mining companies to be organized and sincere about the profits they make from mining manganese.
Under its 2010 Recurrent Revenue Income budget the local authority has not included the increased mining activities in the area as its revenue base.
This came to light during the presentation of the council’s 2010 budget estimates to the District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC) meeting yesterday.
The DDCC members advised the council to take advantage of the increased mining activities in the district to widen its revenue base.
ZANIS
That projection is not realistic,most of the people who are in manganese mining there are illegal miners who take that product to Tanzania.Chiluba closed Mansa batteries God knows why so Manganese mining is not regulated in that Chiluba afflicted town.
Telling us how much they collected in last year will put things in perspective. Making projections is one thing but doing it is another. Has the council in teh past been able to collect projected revenue, so we know whether they will indeed collect the K2.6bn. Secondly, is this the best they can do. Could it be there’s potential to collect far much more from non-mining activity. We are talking about soundness, efficiency and effectiveness here. How efficient and effective is the council. Thirdly, mining should have be planned and executed with council approval, which would naturally cover tax benefits to the council. The fact that teh coucil seems to have no control bespeak their uselessness in this area. Now they cry to ZRA. Councillors!!! Cant we manage even a council sure?
Why ZRA? Let the tax collectors at the council do the job. Its cheap for these guys to be trained by Criticles Mwansa and then they will work like ZRA officers
Lastly, seeing this is a budget, can they shade some light on their expenditures or at least how much the coucil needs to live on and to provide services to Mansa. I suspect it’s much more than the K2.6bn.
What would the K2.6bn be spent on by the way. Hopefully it’s not only on salaries, wages and allowances for counciloors and council workers. Please show us some developmental projects, current and future.
I rest my case.
2.6 billion, at K5,000/1USD, is $1.9 million. If half of all government (non-donor aid) revenues ($550 million in 2004) was paid out directly to the 72 districts, they would be receiving an additional $7.63 million or K10.4 billion per district.
This is why there has to be decentralisation of the budget to either the district level, or as I would prefer, to the local council level. Zambia does not need 29 ministries (which include 9 provincial ministries). Remember that much of the present bureaucracy came about for the purpose of the Party maintaining control, through direct appointment of political positions.
stop being stupid and tell us realistic figures