21 Feb 2021

 Leader of Alliance for Progressives (AP), Mr Ndaba Gaolathe says government’s decision of increasing tax and right-sizing the public service is not a good move.

He said this last week in Gaborone when briefing the media about the just presented budget proposals.

He said increasing tax was going to condemn the already struggling masses to poverty, adding that research had shown that increasing tax and cutting jobs was not ideal because it killed the economy even further.

He said as the AP they were of the view that government failed to explain how they reached the decisions that were outlined in the budget speech.

Mr Gaolathe said it was going to be helpful if the masses were told the balance in the national coffers, adding that it would help MPs and other advisory bodies to come up with good suggestions as to what could be done to revive the economy.

The AP leader said there was need for a detailed report that showed what and how much government owned. He also said there was a need for independent organs which could be in a position to present their budget proposal as that would ensure transparency and inclusivity.

Mr Gaolathe also said there was need for performance reviews, especially on money matters, because it would guide those who planned for national developments, adding that even the populace would have a better understanding.

He said not knowing the full details would make it harder to come up with better alternatives.

Furthermore, he said promises were made but that government was not giving any feedback on how far they were with implementation.He noted the building of a leather park in Lobatse, the construction of a railway line to Walvis Bay and the transformation strategy of Botswana.

He said although the COVID-19 pandemic had negatively impacted economies around the world, the problems besieging the country had been there before the scourge.

Mr Gaolathe said the government should focus on building infrastructure to aid sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing.

He said with the sectors revived, the country could be self-sustainable and even export some products.

Moreover, he said the budget speech failed to outline how government intended to improve the financial services in order to help small businesses and the informal sector. He said as it was in developed countries, small businesses should be able to approach financial institutions for loans.

“The country must also come up with ways of ensuring that they too go out to the international market and invest as that will help with diversifying the economy,” he said. ENDS