The Sunday News
THE Gwanda Rural District Council (RDC) has this year only managed to collect 35 percent of its budgeted $1,9 million in revenue as most ratepayers are failing to make payments and council has resolved to take its debtors to court.
Presenting the 2015 budget in Gwanda Town recently, the Finance Committee chairperson Councillor George Chipengo said the local authority did not undertake its 2014 capital projects due to financial constraints.
“This council did not manage to do the 2014 capital projects due to shortage of funding as a result of the ratepayers who are still failing to make good their payments to council.
“The council managed to collect 35 percent of total budgeted revenue of $1,9 million during the year 2014 and we had to spend what we gathered.
Council managed to do grading of roads in five wards during the year and in 2015 road maintenance activities will be intensified,” said Clr Chipengo.
As at 30 November, uncollected revenue stood at $1,32 million.
Councillors expressed concern over politicians who own farms but were not paying their unit taxes to the local authority and were described as chief culprits sinking the RDC.
“A2 farmers were engaged by convening a meeting with them at the Provincial Administrator’s offices with the help of the Honourable Minister of State (Cde Abednico Ncube) and this has not yielded any positive results as farmers are still not paying unit taxes,” Clr Chipengo said.
Farmers owe council $373 290 whereas mines owe $628 435.
Parastatals also owe council $256 768 while trading businesses or shops have a debt of $120 090.
As from yesterday, council working together with the Zimbabwe Republic Police officers embarked on a licence inspection exercise starting with businesses in the Guyu area.
The local authority said it would turn to the courts to ensure that it recovered what was owed by its debtors.
“One other mine which is a big debtor was taken to court and has now started to make payments on agreed terms. Council will continue negotiating with its debtors and those who do not come forward will be taken to court through council lawyers,” Clr Chipengo said.
The RDC has again adopted a $1,9 million budget for 2015 with the hope that if all revenues were collected, council would be able to implement the projects as desired in next year’s budget.
“The council has maintained the levels of levies, taxes, fees, licences and other charges unchanged with some reviewed downwards. The downward review has been made to mining business where a reduction of 12,5 percent has been made to their unit tax following the consultation meetings,” Clr Chipengo said.
The Gwanda RDC is fully in support of the ZimAsset and has indicated that it would embark on projects that include grading of roads and construction of drainage structures, drilling and rehabilitation of boreholes, construction of school latrines for disabled and providing schools and clinics with furniture and equipment.
