Tayali cautions govt to be sensitive when applying taxes

EEP leader Chilufya Tayali

Economic and Equity party (EEP) president Chilufya Tayali has called on the government to apply taxes while being sensitive to the economic status of the majority Zambians.

Mr Tayali notes that despite raising the tax free income threshold from K1, 000 to K3, 000 in 2014, the ruling party has come up with other strategies to tax the common Zambian to abject poverty.

He points out that Zambians are being taxed on the roads through toll gate fees, while more taxes are coming through withholding tax on rental income.

Mr Tayali says this is despite the high rates of unemployment in the country that has reduced people’s capacity to make money.

He adds that efforts by youths to do business have been suffocated by the hike in utilities such as electricity tariffs, and the removal of traders from the streets without alternative trading places among other setbacks.