The two percent tax which received mixed reactions from
different sections of society, with some unscrupulous retailers responding by
increasing prices during the first days, has been a huge success.
President Mnangagwa has said the tax announced under the
Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) that is running until the end of the
year, is critical in transforming the economy, which suffered from two decades
of stagnation.
Cde Mnangagwa said the tax is not designed to hurt ordinary
people and companies but to help the manufacturing sector get funds for
retooling and modernisation to enable the sector to ramp up production.
Addressing the media fraternity and public relations
officers from Government departments attending the media training workshop on
the TSP programme successes and NDS1 reporting in Gweru yesterday, Permanent
Secretary in the Office of Vice-President Kembo Mohadi, Reverend Paul Damasane
said the media should take a leading role in educating the nation on Government
programmes.
The three-day workshop is aimed at unpacking the success
stories of Government’s TSP and the agenda of the recently launched National
Development Strategy 1 (NDS1). The NDS1 is replacing the TSP and will run from
2021 to 2025. It will be anchored on devolution and decentralisation as well as
prudent use of public resources.
Rev Damasane said it was unfortunate that the media
sometimes propagates information that is harmful to the economy and citizens in
the name of selling news.
“When the two percent tax was introduced, it was received
with mixed reactions by the people because they didn’t have the correct
information about that tax. They thought it was there to take away their income
because they didn’t understand the manner in which it was going to benefit
them.
This was because the media was not playing its role to
educate the nation on the Government programme,” said Rev Damasane.
He said because of the two percent tax, the country which
didn’t receive external funding to fight the Covid-19 pandemic like other
countries in the region, was doing way better than them using internal funds
from the tax.
Rev Damasane said many sectors of the economy had benefited
from the tax.
“Our Covid-19 infection rate and deaths are way below other countries in the region which received external funding to fight the scourge. We are doing more to fight this scourge using our internal funding. Civil servants are getting salaries on time, infrastructure development projects are on course across the country.
“Those are some of the benefits we are enjoying from this tax which some people didn’t know,” he said.
Rev Damasane said some economists are arguing that the tax is low and should go up a little bit because it is working well for the development of the nation.
He said now that there is the NDS1, the ordinary people
need to be educated so that they understand the strategy.
Rev Damasane said there are 14 points under the NDS1 and the media can pick their own niche so that they create stories around them while educating the people.
“The media also have a role to play in peace building. When the media doesn’t explain the prosperity issues to the people, the people will not be able to articulate them and that creates problems. Peace is an enabler for development and the media ought to articulate Government programmes so that they are understood by the people so that peace prevails,” said Rev Damasane.
He said on his inauguration, President Mnangagwa articulated the need to push forward the devolution agenda, a speech which some detractors took as political.
“The 2013 Constitution speaks of devolution but from that
year until 2017, there was no public declaration on devolution until President
Mnangagwa took over.
The devolution Agenda is also critical in nation building.
It speaks of internal engagement through being in touch with the lowest
citizens giving them room to choose development projects they want and that is
what the Second Republic is doing. Bubi RDC has constructed clinics using
devolution funds, a development that has improved access to health services for
villagers who now walk short distances.
While we remain a unitary State, this Government is
advocating for people-centred projects and that is also part of NDS1 and Vision
2030,” said Rev Damasane.
He said NDS1 must also be explained to the people in other
languages other than Shona, English and Ndebele so that everyone comes on board
and participates in development programmes towards the attainment of Vision
2030.
“We need to have NDS1 explained to our people in rural areas
and that is possible if we use the languages they speak or are familiar within
those areas. It’s the role of the media to debunk the myths about NDS1 and to
amplify the progress made,” said Rev Damasane. Chronicle
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