Africa-Press – Tanzania. …House approves 36.68tri/-
LEGISLATORS yesterday walked out of the debating chamber smiling following the government’s decision to honour their request to increase the budget for different sectors, which have seen the next fiscal year’s budget hiked by 352bn/-, from 36.33tri/- to 36.68tri/-.
Legislators yesterday overwhelmingly approved the government budget for the 2021/2022 fiscal year. Out of the 385 votes cast, 361 votes (about 94 per cent) said ‘Yes’, while all opposition MPs totaling 23 votes said ‘Abstain’.
Responding to queries raised by MPs when debating the 2021/2022 national budget, the Minister for Finance and Planning, Dr Mwigulu Nchemba said in order to repair and construct roads under Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA), the government added about 322bn/- which will be spent in periodic maintenance of the roads.
“This means, by the time we adjourn this budget session, every constituency will be able to receive at least 1bn/- and we want to ensure that all roads that are not passable are now in good order,’’ he said as MPS applauded uncontrollably.
Dr Nchemba further said that all students who had received admission at different higher learning institutions during the last and this financial year, will now be given loans to pursue their studies, as the government plans to increase an additional 70bn/- to the Higher Education Students Loans Board (HESLB).
“We have already allocated 500bn/- for the next financial year, but still there are students who missed out loans that is why we have decided to increase 70bn/-, so that 11,000 students who were not issued with loans in the previous year and an additional 10,000 students for the next academic year are all given loans,’’ he said.
The move, he added, aimed at ensuring that all students from poor families were pursuing their education, instead, of leaving their families in a dilemma on how they can have money to take them to varsities.
The minister further said that in dealing with infrastructures at different schools and health facilities countrywide, the government had increased in the next national budget about 125bn/- and 100bn/- respectively.
He said about 10,000 buildings would be constructed at different schools in district, town, municipal and city councils, adding that ten buildings for health facilities would be constructed in different councils.
The minister also said that in improving the universal health coverage the government had in the next financial year allocated 50bn/-. He said that as the government prepares the legislation for universal health care, the money would be used in the implementation of the project.
During the debate, lawmakers were opposed to the budget allocated to the ministry of water with the majority of them calling for an increase of the budget.
Yesterday, Dr Nchemba said the government had decided to increase the water ministry’s budget by 207bn/- which would be directly channeled to the National Water Fund (NWF).
The government equally made clarification regarding a proposal to amend the Property Tax Act, so that property tax collection can be done using the system of purchasing and using electricity through LUKU machines.
There was public uproar with majority of people opposing the move that it would give a burden to tenants as landlords were likely to throw the ball to the former.
However yesterday, Dr Nchemba insisted that “I wish to reiterate that this tax is special for owners of houses and not tenants and the government will not hesitate to take stern legal actions against rude landlords, who shall fail to observe wisdom,’’ he insisted.
According to the minister, the new move was aimed at improving technology so as to avoid long queues in the struggle to clear outstanding debts in property tax and that there was no cause for alarm as the system and tax rates and exemptions would remain the same only that the new system aims at moving from manual to electronic collection.
Presenting the 2021/2022 budget, Dr Mwigulu proposed a rate of 1,000/- per month on ordinary buildings with one meter and 5,000/- per month for every storey building or apartment with one meter.
During the marathon budget session that started early in April this year, MPs also called for fast-tracking of all key flagship projects including the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) and the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) projects.
MPs further called for further reforms on some laws on tax and removal of levies, which are discouraging entrepreneurship and investment in the country.
