The villagers told The Zimbabwean that they were being forced to pay $5 per year for anyone who has attained the age of 18 years. The villagers said that they were shocked when the Bikita rural district council advised them that they should pay some of the outstanding tax before the end of this year or risk court action. “We are saying the money is unjustified and too much given that villagers are struggling to make ends meet under the current economic environment,” said said Naison Mbunge of Nerumedzo village.
Kainos Rufura, from Marecha village under chief Mukanganwi, said villagers would resist paying the money and were prepared to face court action.
“The government is just wasting time because we are not going to pay the money,” he said.
Outgoing council chief executive, Johnson Mupamhadzi, said villagers were being ordered to pay unit tax for the land they occupy. “We are not demanding anything new. This is unit tax which anyone occupying government land in rural areas has to pay,” said Mupamhadzi.
“As local authorities we have been mandated to collect that money which would be remitted to government. We are demanding money from those who have land on which they are farming.”
“We are encouraging villagers to pay their unit tax because some of them have not paid anything for the past five years. We have made sure that every villager has received the information so that no one will cry foul when legal action is instituted,” he added.
Post published in: News