Ven 25 Fév 2011 09:10
C/belt is not angry enough with Rupiah - Simuusa
Copperbelt residents have not yet shown enough anger for being sacrificed by President Rupia Banda in reference to foreign investors, says Nchanga member of parliament Wylbur Simuusa. Simuusa said the collapsing infrastructure and weakening economic conditions despite record metal prices and output should be blamed on the current regime. Simuusa, who is Patriotic Front chairman for mines, said there was enough reason for Copperbelt residents to reject MMD in this year's election. He said the people of the copperbelt had been taken for granted. " The call for anger is there but there is no real anger yet against this stubborn regime of Rupiah Banda", Simuusa said in an interview. " It is very clear they have been taken for granted by stubborn and clearly arrogant government. And because of their arrogance, we need to raise the level of anger". Simuusa said PF would raise Zambia's revenue collections from the mining sector from the ceurrent level of about two percent of the total revenue basket of the Zambia Revenue Authority. " If they have failed, let PF collect the taxes and see what we'll do in terms of development on the Copperbelt unlike right now when the area has been sacrificed ", he said. Simuusa said recent audit report on pilot audit on Mopani Copper MInes which revealed glaring irregularities on the books the mining firm presented to ZRA for taxation was symptomatic of the level of revenue leakages in the mining sector. He wondered why finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane had kept secret a document which he described as " the biggest political scandal of the year". Simuusa said the current fiscal mining regime was aiding mining firms to avoid paying taxes to the country. " Hon Musokotwane and Maxwell Mwale have (been) sold out to the mines and that is why today they are acting as spokespersons for the mines", said Simuusa. : He ( Dr Musokotwane ) has been saying mining firms were being taxed at 47 per cent but reality on the ground is that mining firms are not even paying the three per cent mineral royalty in full".