Maravi

(TIMES) ‘Budget should address mining taxation’

‘Budget should address mining taxation’
By Times Reporter

OPPOSITION members of Parliament (MPs) want today’s budget to follow President Mwanawasa’s promise that the new mining taxation regime will be adjusted upwards. Contributing to Vice-President Rupiah Banda’s motion for the House to sit at 14:15 hours today to allow for the presentation of the 2008 national Budget, Lusaka Central MP Guy Scott (PF) said the budget should address mining taxation.

Mr Scott said the taxation for the mines would be a difficult issue to discuss and approve especially that the MPs had not seen the proposed changes before presentation of the Budget.

Kalomo MP Request Muntanga (UPND) said he welcomed the motion to sit in the afternoon especially that for the first time the Budget would be presented early in January as opposed to February.

Mr Muntanga said as much as he welcomed the motion to sit in the afternoon he wanted Finance Minister, Ng’andu Magande who was not in the House at the time to tighten his Budget so that it could reflect what President Mwanawasa had said when he opened the house.

He said in the past there had been situations where Budget presentations were contrary to what the President had earlier promised the nation in his opening speech.

But the Vice-President said MPs and the nation at large would hear the Budget in full today because the Government was committed to uplifting the living standards for the people.

And contributing to debate on President Mwanawasa’s opening speech, Defence Minister, George Mpombo said PF MPs attending the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) had demonstrated a sense of integrity especially that their party had chosen to stay away.

He said PF MPs’participation in the NCC was a sign of integrity because the house had passed the NCC act and that they had not succumbed to outside forces for them to stay away.

“The PF’s decision to stay away from the NCC was a political blunder of high proportion,” he said.

On the accommodation shortage for Army personnel, he said the Government was aware that soldiers were living in civilian areas and was engaging Chinese private companies to help in the construction of military houses.

Labels: 2008 BUDGET, MWANAWASA, UPND

posted by MrK @ 7:15 AM