Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion has announced sweeping reforms to reduce the cost of doing business in the tourism sector and cut red tape.
In a statement issued on Saturday, 29 November, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Mthuli Ncube said the measures are part of the government’s broader economic transformation agenda, which seeks to boost investment, enhance competitiveness and position Zimbabwe as a leading regional destination for travel, leisure and business.
Under the new framework, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) becomes the primary regulatory body for all tourism businesses.
As part of the overhaul, all local authority licensing fees, which previously varied widely between municipalities, have been slashed by 50%.
The ZTA has also reviewed its own charges, significantly reducing fees for hotel licence renewals to ease operational costs.
Registration and renewal fees for five-star hotels have been cut to US$2,000 from as high as US$5,250, while fees for smaller facilities such as guest houses have dropped to US$150 from up to US$500.
Additional requirements, such as the liquor licence, have been removed to eliminate duplication, as they are already covered by local authorities.
Ncube also announced a package of incentives designed to stimulate new investment in accommodation, conferencing, aviation, eco-tourism and cultural tourism.
These include duty rebates on capital equipment, tax holidays for new tourism developments and special incentives for operators within designated Tourism Development Zones.
Significant reductions have also been made to fees in the boating and aviation sub-sectors. The US$600 annual commercial boat permit has been scrapped entirely, while the houseboat permit fee has been halved to US$1,250.
The external tour operators’ licence has been reduced from US$3,000 to US$1,500, and aircraft registration fees have been cut dramatically from US$500–1,000 to just US$20.
Other services, including conference operators, events companies, travel agencies, restaurants, takeaways, fast-food outlets and coffee shops, will also benefit from lower registration fees, reduced from US$305 to US$100.
In addition, the government has revised the General Investment Licence, lowering the cost from US$5,000 annually to US$4,000 over three years.
Fees for Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Designation Certificates have also been reduced to support industrialisation, strengthen the development of SEZs and enhance Zimbabwe’s competitiveness.
While business groups have welcomed the government’s announcements on cutting regulations, they have urged the authorities to follow through by gazetting the proposed rules to give them legal effect.
Related:
Finance Minister Announces New Business Licence Fees For Retail And Wholesale Sectors
Tourism Bill A “Looter’s Charter” And A “Driver Of Massive Corruption,” Says Chin’ono
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