AfricaPress-Tanzania: LIBERTY sparks; a youth centred think tank has called for concerted efforts to simplify the business environment for starters in the country for people centred economy.
“There is a need for more effort to improve the environment for starting business in Tanzania if we are to create jobs and to compete with the world,” said Evans Exaud, the Executive Director of Liberty sparks.
He said that as Tanzania enters the low middle income country it should go hand in hand with decline of poverty where business is a major tool for bringing prosperity through innovation and competition.
Mr. Exaud made the remarks recently in Dar es Salaam as he was speaking after a presentation of a survey on Blueprint for Regulatory Reforms to Improve the Business Environment in Tanzania.
He insisted that business play a major role towards eliminating poverty, bringing dignity among the people and country prosperity.
He added that for a bigger number of new business to be established, people be supported to register and start companies with minimal cost and easy procedure.
“It’s possible for many people, especially the youth to have a certain type of business that earns them a living while promoting growth of a national economy at large,” he said Mr Exaud added, Liberty Sparks, as a think tank, will continue investing on doing constructive research and educational programmes that will help the country and individuals to prosper economically through establishment of businesses.
Speaking at the same event, Prof Samuel Wangwe, an economist and a research consultant from Daima associates limited, called for scrapping fees payable to regulatory bodies for new businesses.
Prof Wangwe said that all which was needed is to nurture new businesses, which if they grow, will eventually create jobs and pay taxes rather than frustrating proprietors with huge taxes and levies at starting points.
“Regulatory bodies like National Environmental Management Council (NEMC) should have their fees like that of 1.5m/- for the experts surveying new business environment written off.”
He said that some regulatory bodies charged numerous fees to starting businesses which if not waived, may continue to distract formalisation of activities and businesses in the country.
Prof Wangwe similarly advised that starting businesses should not be taxed at the beginning; rather there should be friendly ways of having them pay.
He suggested that the ways should include paying in installments after receiving knowledge and capacity building from taxing authorities.
“Regulatory bodies should be friendly to business and shun away from policing-like habits. This frustrates new beginners who end up running away. They should use education approach to new beginners rather than policing,”
