PF government has not backtracked on promises - Scott
PF government has not backtracked on promises - ScottBy Mwila Chansa-Ntambi in Kitwe
Sun 08 Apr. 2012, 13:29 CAT
VICE-President Dr Guy Scott says government has not backtracked on its campaign promises. And Dr Scott says it is only voters that can raise the quality of political debate in Zambia.
During an interview with a United Kingdom-based online radio, Crossfire Blogspot, the interviewer indicated to Dr Scott that it appeared the PF was backtracking on some of its campaign promises with the recent description by finance minister Alexander Chikwanda of advocates of windfall tax as "lunatics".
"Well, whether it's windfall tax, project tax or royalties, it is money. The question is; what is the most efficient way to get our share from the mineral resources?" Dr Scott responded.
[The question has always been one of quantification. How much of the taxes are collected. Taxation should be around 50% of 'genuine profits'. The difference between the Variable Profits Tax and the Windfall Tax is collectability. - MrK]
He said in this year's budget, the mineral royalty had been raised considerably and that what mattered was to get reasonable benefits from the mining sector.
Dr Scott added that royalties were in fact much easier to administer than windfall tax.
[OK. So let's drop all other taxes on the mines (PAYE, variable profits tax, corporate social responsibility, everything), and raise royalties from 3% to 20%. That would open up so many possibilities. Zambia could create a copper, diamond or gold reserve, to permanently strengthen the Kwacha. With a strong Kwacha, it would be much cheaper to import capital goods for manufacturing and agriculture, and set up a Zambian owned and operated industrial base, aimed at beneficiation and characterized by the exportation of finished goods. That would really reduce unemployment and raise incomes and living standards. - MrK]
And responding to a Sweden-based Zambian student Elijah Mudenda who wanted to know what the PF government was doing to raise the quality of political debate in Zambia in order for the country to graduate from politics of lies and deception, Dr Scott said the only people that could raise the quality of political debate were the voters themselves.
He said Zambia needed a higher cost for liars.
Dr Scott observed that some people have had their parliamentary seats nullified because of the lies they peddled during campaigns and that this is what was needed in Zambia.
He said there was need to encourage serious, honest, and hardworking people to get into politics.
And Dr Scott said it was the Republican president's prerogative to appoint someone to act as president whenever he was not around.
Responding to concerns that he was a ceremonial vice-president because he never acted as Republican president in President Michael Sata's absence, Dr Scott said he saw no big deal about it.
And on whether the PF would achieve what was outlined in its manifesto given that Zambia had meager resources, Dr Scott said the PF would certainly focus on the key issues such as agriculture, devolution in government, separation of powers and the fight against corruption among others.
He said contrary to concerns that the PF had no clear policy on agriculture, it in fact had and that it wanted to give equal incentives to all farmers regardless of what they were growing.
Dr Scott observed that political will was needed to move away from the perception that one was only a farmer if they were growing maize.
Meanwhile, Dr Scott dismissed assertions that the PF government had ‘gone to bed' with The Post.
He said while the PF as a party, or President Sata as an individual and himself as an individual were in good books with The Post, this did not mean they had gone to bed with the newspaper.
He observed that even though some newspapers in the West tried to pretend to be neutral, in practice they were not because even in England, it was clear that the Guardian supported the Labour Party.
Labels: GUY SCOTT, PF, WINDFALL TAX
posted by MrK @ 4:04 PM
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