Vendors in Harare have expressed dissatisfaction with the emergency services and street lighting levies proposed in the city council’s 2025 budget.
The Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) has raised concerns about these new charges, calling them an unnecessary burden on residents who are already struggling financially.
VISET chairperson Samuel Wadzanai described the budget as ambitious but criticized the inclusion of the levies.
“The emergency services levy is ostensibly being introduced to cater for the purchase of new ambulances as the city is said to have only four functional ones, against a requirement of 32,” Wadzanai said in a statement.
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While acknowledging the importance of emergency services, Wadzanai questioned the city’s reliance on additional taxes to address service delivery shortfalls.
“There can be no doubt that emergency services are critical to the well-being of residents in the capital. However, what is problematic in our view is the ready recourse to taxing residents who are battling to survive,” he said.
He argued that Harare could meet residents’ essential needs — such as health, education, water, and sanitation — through better public finance management practices rather than introducing new levies.
The levies, which aim to improve critical services like ambulance availability and street lighting, have drawn mixed reactions from stakeholders, with some questioning the city’s ability to effectively utilize the funds collected.
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