Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Tuesday, September 20, 2022.
Govt reviews electronic levies as resistance against them refuses to die
Finance and Planning Minister Mwigulu Nchemba said Tuesday that effective from October 1, 2022, no levy will be imposed on wire transfers as the government works out a plan to implement the directive from the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) on the need to review the contentious electronic levies.
There is also going to be no levy charged on internal bank transfers and no levy on transferring money from banks to mobile networks. Also, no levy will be charged on bank withdrawal through ATMs for all transactions below Sh30,000.
Dr Mwigulu said as is the case now the levies will also not apply to small-scale entrepreneurs. The government is also reducing the levies between 10 per cent and 50 per cent depending on the category to which the respective levy belongs.
The government will also abandon the current arrangement where a tenant is supposed to pay the property tax on behalf of their landlords, with Dr Nchemba pointing out that it is the duty of the landlord to pay relevant tax based on the income earned due to renting.
“The government made these reviews in order to encourage the use of electronic transactions and thus reduce the extent to which financial transactions are carried out in cash,” Mr Nchemba told lawmakers in the capital Dodoma.
Full story here.
CHADEMA prepares to organise rallies despite govt ban
Opposition party CHADEMA said here on Tuesday that the centre-right political party is planning to organise nationwide political rallies despite what it termed as an “illegal and unconstitutional” ban that has been imposed by the government.
CHADEMA deputy secretary-general (Zanzibar) Salum Mwalimu told a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Dar es Salaam that political rallies are the lifeblood of any political party and it is no longer going to wait for the government’s favour for CHADEMA to do what is permitted by the country’s laws.
Mr Mwalimu was presenting the resolutions by CHADEMA’s central committee that sat in Dar es Salaam from September 17 to September 18, 2022, to deliberate on national issues of concern to the party.
“The central committee has resolved that the party, at all levels, across the country, should make preparations for political rallies on a day and time that will be communicated by the party’s national leadership,” Mr Mwalimu told journalists.
“It means that the central committee has given a directive to grassroots party officials regarding the issue,” he added. “Under which arrangement will the rallies take place? Where will the first rally take place? These and other questions will be answered in the coming few days. But it is important that preparations are made now.”
Full story here.
Dar to host 42nd edition of India’s largest overseas engineering exhibition
Dar es Salaam is expected to host the 42nd edition of India’s largest overseas engineering exhibition from September 22 to September 24, 2022, in an attempt to provide Indian manufacturers exposure to explore export opportunities in the entire Eastern and Central Africa.
According to a statement released on Tuesday, the exhibition is being organised by the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of India in association with the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India; Indian High Commission in Tanzania and Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA).
The Tanzania edition of INDEE will be co-located with three concurrent shows – the 22nd INDUSMACH Africa 2022, Tools and Hardware Africa, and East Africa International Trade Exhibition 2022, the statement said.
Tanzania has a substantial share in India’s engineering exports to East Africa, the statement noted. India’s exports to Tanzania stood at $550.10 million in 2021-2022. The total bilateral trade between India and Tanzania stood at $4.58 billion in 2021-22 recording a 92.93 per cent growth from the same period last year.
This is the first time INDEE is venturing into Tanzania making it the 28th nation with a team of over 90 Indian exhibitors representing more than 28 Engineering Product Groups including – Electrical Machinery, Motor Vehicles, Agricultural equipment, Articles of Iron & Steel, Packaging Machinery, Hand Tools, Wires and cables to name a few.
Indian High Commissioner to Tanzania, Binaya Srikanta Pradhan said Tanzania has a substantial share in India’s engineering exports to East Africa which rose from 22 per cent during 2020-2021 to 27 per cent in 2021-2022.
High Commissioner of Tanzania to India, Ms Anisa Mbega commented Tanzania has a substantial share in India’s engineering exports to East Africa due to its strategically significant geographical location.
Majaliwa launches 15-year fisheries master plan to boost economic growth
Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa on Tuesday launched a 15-year fisheries master plan aimed at boosting the sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) from the current 1.8 per cent to 10 per cent by 2037, reports Xinhua news organisation.
Launching the master plan in the commercial capital of Dar es Salaam, Majaliwa said the plan scheduled to be implemented from 2021/2022 through 2036/2037 will contribute to the growth of the fisheries sector and the blue economy.
“The fisheries master plan ensures that every citizen benefits from the sector,” Xinhua quoted the premier as saying, stressing that the government will continue accommodating views from members of the public aimed at improving the fisheries sector.
He added the newly launched fisheries master plan entailed conservation and management of marine resources and sustainable use of the resources.
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