by Loice Dube Staff Reporter
The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development has called on governments and world leaders meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland to consider inequality crisis and propose solutions to tackle it. The main drivers of inequality according to the “Paradise Papers revelations” is tax dodging by rich individuals and multinational companies.
The government made a damning revelation that over 4000 big businesses in Zimbabwe are not registered with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) for the purposes of tax evasion.
Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development in a statement said the recently held protests against fuel prices leaves a lot to be desired in terms of the inequality in the country. The protests were a clear sign that Zimbabweans existing in different social strata and social stratification is the greatest inequality. Protests loomed in high density residential areas and none was recorded leafy suburbs .A whatsapp joke was circulating with a message that read “Borrowdale is concerned about the ongoing protests in their neighbouring country, Zimbabwe”. This was a clear commentary on how the elites living in low density suburbs are not affected by the socio-economic woes bedevilling the country”
The 2% tax on all intermediated money transfers between $10.00 and a $10,000 flat tax for transactions above $500,000 is very regressive because big sharks that deal with millions and billions of dollars will pay a flat fee that do not commensurate with the wealth they have. The paradox gets even worse when they consider that the poverty datum line is $574 read the ZIMCODD statement.
“According to the World Poverty Clock says close to five million in Zimbabwe are living in extreme poverty. This constitutes about 28% of the country’s population thereby undermining the country’s capacity to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal to end extreme poverty by 2030.
ZIMCODD Executive Director Janet Zhou said “in Davos government and business people meet and definitely there is another missing arm in terms of society that is the people themselves that are affected by policies that are crafted by our governments. Therefore, it means when you are not around the table where people are discussing most likely your issues are not going to be considered”
In the recent penetrating Oxfam report launched as political and business elites gather for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, 82 percent of the wealth generated last year went to the richest on percent of the global population, while 3, 7 billion people who make up the poorest half of the world saw no increase in their wealth.
ZIMCODD is a social and economic justice coalition dedicated to facilitate citizens’ movement through their sectors and as activist in making public policy and practise pro-people and sustainable.
