Extend tax relief to citizens – JCTR

By NATION REPORTERGOVERNMENT should reduce the impact of COVID-19 on Zambians by extending relief directly to the citizenry through temporary suspension or reduction of taxes,the Jesuit Center for Theological Reflections (JCTR) has said.JCTR acting director Father Alex Muyebe said while the economic measures announced by Government so far were appreciated and that there was need to lighten the burden of high costs of most goods and services on citizens.Fr Muyebe said taxes should be reduced or temporary suspended in order to protect the dignity of human life.“There is need to consider extending relief directly to the citizenry through temporary suspension or reduction of taxes directly linked to the households during this pandemic i.e. Pay as You Earn and Value Added Tax (VAT).“This will be mainly for the purpose of easing the burden of the high costs of most goods and services in order to protect the dignity of human life,” he said.Fr Muyebe also said the decision to further extend the list of medical supplies that were not subject to import duty and VAT for an initial period of 6 months was a progressive move in the fight against COVID-19.He said the measure protects the fundamental right to life of all Zambians and protects the poor from exploitation with regards to the high costs of protective garments.