Zimbabwe’s government has proposed a tax targeting informal beauty industry traders, including barbers and hairdressers, which may disproportionately affect women.
Speaking in an Amakhosikazi Media Whats App based women’s dialogue session, Honourable Discent Bajila, Member of Parliament for Emakhandeni-Luveve, clarified that this presumptive tax aims to expand the tax base and increase government revenue.
Critics argue that this tax will exacerbate the economic struggles of women, who dominate the hair industry. Most hairdressers are women, and this tax may lead to increased financial burdens, reduced profitability, and potential business closures.
“Women tend to suffer from illicit financial flows, corruption, and taxes that mostly affect them,” Said one prticipant.
Another added, “The poor will suffer, and hair prices will go up again to cover these taxes, effectively affecting women more.”
Women said “More research needs to be done, and other cities economies should be considered.” While others asked, “As MPs, how are you advocating for laws that protect women?”
Other comments on the Chatroom were as follows:
“Most of these MPs do not represent their constituencies but their parties.”
“Corruption affects women the most; we are burnt on both ends of the stick.”
This tax proposal may undermine women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship.
“Why resort to taxes, MP? Consider the impact on women’s livelihoods.”
Participants pointed to previous taxes as having no meaningful impact on the quality of their lives such as:
Road tax via quarterly registration and toll gates, which have not resulted in any significant road improvements.
The 2% intermediated money transfer tax, introduced in 2018, which they said has not yielded noticeable economic benefits.
The Value Added Tax (VAT) increase from 15% to 17.5% in 2019, has not translated to improved public services among others.
They also touched on the Zimbabwe Auditor General’s annual reports which have consistently highlighted concerns about fund mismanagement and corruption within government institutions without repercussions.
Against this backdrop, participants questioned the effectiveness of additional taxation, particularly when:
Corruption and leakages remain unaddressed, basic services, such as healthcare and education, remain underfunded and Infrastructure development significantly lags behind.
The general consensus from the chatroom participants was that Government must address citizens’ concerns, ensure transparency, and demonstrate tangible benefits from existing taxes before introducing new ones. Only then can Zimbabweans trust that their hard-earned money is being utilized for the nation’s development.
