(LUSAKATIMES) £411,000 worth of assets and cash from the Barotse Royal treasury was distributed to district councils countrywide-VEEP

Saturday, July 14, 2012

(LUSAKATIMES) £411,000 worth of assets and cash from the Barotse Royal treasury was distributed to district councils countrywide-VEEP

£411,000 worth of assets and cash from the Barotse Royal treasury was distributed to district councils countrywide-VEEP
TIME PUBLISHED - Saturday, July 14, 2012, 9:42 am

VICE-PRESIDENT Guy Scott told Parliament yesterday that £411,000 worth of assets and cash from the Barotse Royal treasury was distributed to district councils countrywide in 1964.

Dr Scott said according to the information released by former Minister of Local Government Sikota Wina as published in one of the editions of the Times of Zambia newspaper in 1964, the £411,000 worth of assets and cash was distributed to councils after the signing of the Barotseland Agreement.

The Vice-President, who laid the cutting of the article on the table of the House, was answering a question from Bahati member of Parliament (MP) Harry Kalaba (Patriotic Front) who wanted to know how much was in the Barotse Royal treasury and what happened to the money at the time the Barotseland Agreement was signed.

This was during the Vice-President’s question time.

And Dr Scott said the Litunga of the Lozi people in Western Province, like the other three Paramount Chiefs in the country, derives his powers from the colonial establishment and the republican Constitution.

Dr Scott said this in response to a question by Lukulu West MP Misheck Mutelo (MMD) who asked whether or not the Litunga has powers as those of the Chitimukulu of the Bemba, Paramount Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni and Paramount Chief Gawa Undi of the Chewa people.

The Vice-President dismissed assertions that Government is trying to ridicule the Litunga, describing them as baseless.

And Dr Scott said it is not Government’s desire to see people lose their jobs following the upward adjustment of the minimum wage for domestic, shop and general workers.

He said Government revised the minimum wage to ensure all workers are accorded decent salaries.

Dr Scott said this in response to Mafinga MP Catherine Namugala (MMD) who asked if Government is aware that the implementation of the minimum wage is likely to result in high levels of unemployment.

ZRA collected K1.185 trillion excise duty, K1.7 trillion customs duty, K3.9 trillion value added tax, K4.5 trillion pay as you earn while K7.5 trillion was collected from other taxes last year.

“If we follow your logic, it will mean reducing wages and increasing the number of workers. But this is not the case with the PF government,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Finance Miles Sampa told Parliament that Government collected K18.8 trillion in taxes from January 1 to December 31 last year.

He said the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) collected K1.185 trillion excise duty, K1.7 trillion customs duty, K3.9 trillion value added tax, K4.5 trillion pay as you earn while K7.5 trillion was collected from other taxes.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

Labels: BAROTSE ROYAL ESTABLISHMENT, GUY SCOTT, SIKOTA WINA