Government moves to get its money
By Mwila Nsofu
Finance and National Planning Minister, SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE has called for the recovery of over ONE billion Kwacha unremitted non-tax revenue.
The money has remained unremitted as at June, 30, 2024.
Dr. MUSOKOTWANE says the situation needs to be redressed by the end of October, 2024.
He says the outstanding revenue is part of the 2024 resource mobilisation framework and has to be collected, without fail.
Dr. MUSOKOTWANE says to accelerate the remittance of outstanding revenue by respective stakeholders; the Government will publish details of all organisations and individuals who are owing.
And the Treasury says to achieve the target, the assigned Ministries and Agencies have the full backing of the Treasury in pursuing all relevant channels to ensure that the targeted non-tax revenue for various goods and services which they render on behalf of the Government is recovered.
Meanwhile, Secretary to the Treasury, FELIX NKULUKUSA, says this state of affairs has impacted on the resources available for the Government to finance public service delivery.
Mr. NKULUKUSA said this when he presented the report to Dr MUSOKOTWANE and briefed him on budget performance in September, 2024.
According to a report submitted by the Accountant General to the Secretary to the Treasury, the outstanding non-tax revenue which should have been paid to Ministries and Agencies by various stakeholders is over One billion Kwacha.
The outstanding remittances relate to Government services offered in the energy, tourism, labour, water development and sanitation, transport and Logistics, and home affairs and internal security, sectors.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Secretary to Treasury says failure to remit non-tax revenue by some organisations and individuals is inconsistent with the Government’s macro- economic objective for 2024 aimed at increasing domestic revenue to at least 22 percent of GDP.
The Treasury says the funds are needed to sustain the drought emergency response.
