02 Dec 2015

The Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Mr Kenneth Matambo says total fuel collections for the period 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015 amounted to P149 317.

Mr Matambo said the amount was a tax on fuel, charged at 12 thebe per litre for petrol and seven thebe per litre for diesel, adding that the monies were collected by the Botswana Unified Revenue Service.

Mr Matambo said in accordance with section 117 of the constitution regarding revenues of government, fuel levy collections were paid into the Consolidated Fund to finance general operations of government, adding that these were the statutory expenditure, recurrent and development budgets or any other activity financing which was appropriated from the Consolidated Fund.

Furthermore, he said the levy was used as part of government revenues to finance the construction and maintenance of road infrastructure. “There is also the Road Levy Collections Fund, used specifically for road maintenance, but not for construction of new roads,” he said.

The MP for Mmadinare, Mr Kefentse Mzwnila had asked the minister to state the current total amount that had been collected from the fuel levy, and what the proceeds of the fuel levy were used for. He wanted to know if the minister deemed it fit to use the fuel levy towards the construction and maintenance of road infrastructure given that the fuel levy was a surcharge on road users. Ends