16 Feb 2021

Bobirwa Sub- district Council chairperson, Mr Christopher Motsholapheko has expressed disappointment at the amount of taxes that have been introduced and the increment of some of the existing ones.

Speaking at the opening of a sub-council meeting Monday, Mr Motsholapheko opined that the taxes were ‘most definitely going to hit hard on the rural communities, most of whom live below the poverty datum line and depend on Ipelegeng, which he said paid low wages.’

“An increase on VAT (value added tax) and fuel levy means transportation of commodities is going to become more expensive, therefore this means an increase in the price of commodities while unemployment and underemployment remain high among our communities,” Mr Motsholapheko observed.

Mr Motsholapheko also expressed fear that other service levies were likely to be reviewed and increased in the near future, a move he feared would further heap financial strains on communities.

While admitting awareness at government’s avenues to increase revenue, Mr Motsholapheko also argued that there was also need to devise ways to protect communities against negative impact of the initiatives.

Cognizant of the fact that the 2021/2022 financial year ministerial recurrent budget had been reduced by P714.74 million from the previous year, the sub-district chairperson reiterated the Minister of Finance and Economic Development’s call for local authorities to intensify revenue collection from existing sources.

However, Mr Motsholapheko expressed hope that implementation of National Development Plan 11 as well as economic recovery and transformation plan would create jobs, hasten digital transformation and stimulate economic activity.

Meanwhile, Mr Motsholapheko called for a reflection of the past year in order to draw invaluable lessons from positives derived from Covid-19.

Some of the positives realised, the chairperson found, were reduction of class sizes at schools, improved safety, health and environmental standards as well as increased use of information technology. ends