The Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) has called on the government to reform the Value Added Tax (VAT) system and address the backlog of refunds to improve compliance.
ZAM President Ashu Sagar says the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) is owing in excess of K19 billion in unpaid VAT refund to the private sector.
Mr. Saga says the government should stop using VAT as a means of borrowing from the domestic market at no interest.
And Mr. Saga says the absence of tax concessions in 2025 is likely to slow down growth, reduce foreign investment, and weaken the competitiveness of Zambia’s manufacturing sector.
The Ministry of Finance and National Planning Permanent secretary in charge of budgeting and planning Prudence Kaoma says all submissions made by the sector will be taken into consideration as the government does more consultations on the budget.