On Tuesday 16th October 2018, the British Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Economics Association of Zambia hosted several sector experts, academics, members of the press and other stakeholders at a public forum discussion to explore the 2019 national budget and dissect the proposed introduction of Sales Tax to replace the long standing Value Added Tax (VAT).
Panelists on the night included;
- KPMG Zambia – Head of Tax and Partner, Michael Phiri
- International Growth Centre (IGC), Twivwe Siwale
- Consumer Unit Trust Society (CUTS) – Coordinator, Chenai Mukumba
VAT OVER SALES TAX
Following detailed presentations and open floor discussions, the general consensus was that Value Added Tax is the more effective tax system compared to the proposed Sales Tax.
However, the meeting agreed that despite having an edge over Sales Tax, the Value Added Tax system was imperfect and needed some fine tuning (such as making supplies to the mines zero rated to avoid the subsequent problem of refunds) to maximise the system’s efficacy.
- KPMG Zambia – Head of Tax and Partner Michael Phiri’s Presentation
- Consumer Unit Trust Society – Coordinator Chenai Mukumba’s presentation
- International Growth Centre – Twivwe Siwale’s presentation