{"id":10316,"date":"2022-02-19T11:51:07","date_gmt":"2022-02-19T11:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/bachashutdown-petition-finance-minister"},"modified":"2022-02-19T12:27:07","modified_gmt":"2022-02-19T12:27:07","slug":"bachashutdown-petition-finance-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/bachashutdown-petition-finance-minister","title":{"rendered":"#Bachashutdown petition Finance Minister"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. <\/strong><\/span>have issued a petition of their demands to the Minister of Finance Hon. Thabo Sophonea on Monday ahead of the budget speech for the financial year 2022\/2023.<\/p>\n

It was sent as a petition to the Minister on behalf of \u201cthousands of other frustrated young people across the country\u201d. \u201cLesotho has made gains in poverty reduction over the last decade.<\/p>\n

However, poverty remains higher than neighbouring countries. About half, or 49.7 percent, of our population lives below the national poverty and about one quarter (24.1 percent)<\/p>\n

lives in extreme poverty. Lesotho national poverty rate is measured at the national poverty line of about M650 per adult equivalent per month,\u201d reads the<\/p>\n

letter. They urged the Minister to consider these interventions when he prepares the budget speech for the financial year 2022\/2023, to establish youth and women fund,<\/p>\n

lift the Value Added Tax (VAT) on telecommunications, and introduce cash grant paid to unemployed Basotho. #Bachashutdown President Tumelo Moteuli highlighted that the establishment of the youth and<\/p>\n

women fund will benefit them in that if they want to start their own businesses they can borrow from it. \u201cWe understand that the government is planning to<\/p>\n

implement the sin tax which will see alcohol and tobacco levies increased by 15 and 30 percent respectively. We propose that the government should establish<\/p>\n

women and youth fund that will be funded from the proposed alcohol and tobacco levies and distributed to real empowerment initiatives,\u201d he said. He further indicated that getting 20 percent (approximately M57 million) of the<\/p>\n

revenue collected from alcohol and tobacco levies each year, the fund will stimulate the establishment and growth of youth and women businesses, promote<\/p>\n

digital skills, grow the economy and foster job creation. He said when young people go out in large numbers on weekends to party, for every bottle of alcohol and a cigarette they buy, they will be contributing capital for their<\/p>\n

counterparts to start businesses. He added that funds should not be administered by politicians but by experienced Basotho women and youth to ensure transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaxing telecommunications makes data bundles less affordable and accessible, especially for the low-income consumers. We urge the<\/p>\n

minister to lift the VAT on telecommunications in order to lower data costs and increase access to internet for all people and young people in particular.<\/p>\n

Access to internet has become a necessity for modern living and is a matter of survival. Unemployed graduates have trouble accessing job opportunities<\/p>\n

advertised online while students face barriers in remote learning conditions because they cannot afford access to high-speed internet at homes. Also, internet creates jobs, many paying higher salaries than average.<\/p>\n

Our young people can become Instagram influencers while others can create their own YouTube channels and generate income for themselves. Those who have small businesses can conduct advertising over internet at a very low cost<\/p>\n

while others can sell goods such as groceries over the internet (e-commerce). The number of jobs supported by internet-related activities can raise the total number of jobs in the country. However, the VAT on telecommunications limits young people\u2019s participation in the internet economy,\u201d notes the letter.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Lesotho<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. have issued a petition of their demands to the Minister of Finance Hon. Thabo Sophonea on Monday ahead of the budget speech for the financial year 2022\/2023. It was sent as a petition to the Minister on behalf of \u201cthousands of other frustrated young people across the country\u201d. \u201cLesotho has made gains […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":10315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5,7,8,16],"tags":[233,246,245],"class_list":["post-10316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","category-head-lines","category-homepage-english","category-twitter","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-lesotho","tag-lesotho"],"yoast_head":"\n#Bachashutdown petition Finance Minister - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"have issued a petition of their demands to the Minister of Finance Hon. 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