Former finance minister Tendai Biti condemned the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority's latest presumptive tax measures targeting informal sector workers. Public Notice 51 of 2025 establishes new tax scales affecting traders, miners, transport operators, hairdressers, and cross-border merchants. Biti labeled these policies absurd and regressive for citizens already bearing excessive financial burdens. The opposition politician argued that Zimbabwe maintains Africa's highest tax burden at thirty percent of GDP before economic rebasing. Citizens face approximately fifteen different tax categories, ranging from income tax to vehicle licensing fees.
Government officials substitute punitive taxation for genuine economic reform, according to Biti's assessment. High tax rates harm working families and small enterprises by reducing disposable income levels. The former minister advocates for eliminating specific levies, such as the IMMT, while questioning attempts to tax informal activities out of existence. Biti proposes expanding formal economic opportunities through access to capital and business registration incentives. He suggests that sustainable growth requires broad-based formal sector development rather than aggressive tax collection from struggling informal operators.
Government officials substitute punitive taxation for genuine economic reform, according to Biti's assessment. High tax rates harm working families and small enterprises by reducing disposable income levels. The former minister advocates for eliminating specific levies, such as the IMMT, while questioning attempts to tax informal activities out of existence. Biti proposes expanding formal economic opportunities through access to capital and business registration incentives. He suggests that sustainable growth requires broad-based formal sector development rather than aggressive tax collection from struggling informal operators.
