Introduction of duty on cement will affect manufacturing – ZAM

Rosetta Chabala

The Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) says the introduction of excise duty on cement will affect the stable growth the manufacturing sector has recorded in the past few months.

Government has in the 2018 national budget proposed to introduce an excise duty of K2 per 50 Kg bag of cement.

Association president Rosetta Chabala tells Q-News that instead of penalizing the sector with such measures, government should have instead come up with policies to sustain the growth the manufacturing sector has recorded.

Ms. Chabala adds that the excise duty on cement has implications on infrastructure development.

She says the move will further slow down existing projects because the excise duty was not anticipated.