THE Poverty Reduction Forum Trust (PRFT) says the recent government directive compelling all local authorities to write off residents’ rates arrears accumulated since 2009 will not have a positive long-term impact if ordinary people’s economic fortunes remained subdued.
REPORT BY STAFF REPORTER
In its monthly report for August, the forum said the celebrations that greeted the move would be short–lived if municipalities failed to secure alternative sources of income to cover the gap.
This follows a July 22 government directive ordering all the 92 local authorities to write-off residents’ rates arrears accumulated between February 2009 and June this year, a move which was dismissed by opposition politicians as a Zanu PF vote-buying gimmick.
“A sustainable strategy is for local councils to charge affordable and realistic bills to avoid cases of defaulting by ratepayers,” the report reads in part.
The forum said a mere cancellation of bills was addressing the symptoms rather than the root cause of the problem.
“The question we should be asking ourselves is after the bills’ write-off and the next revised bill is received, is the same household automatically in a position to pay the bill? For this situation to be attainable, there has to be some positive changes in the household’s economic situation,” the forum said.
In the report — which covered Harare, Bulawayo and Mutare — the forum said residents in these cities expected the new government to deliver on the social services front.
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“PRFT is of the view that any policy package that aims to cushion vulnerable groups of the society should prioritise service delivery and access to affordable food, housing, health and education,” the forum said.
“The newly-elected local authority policymakers should work towards ensuring adequate electricity, clean water and refuse collection and maintenance of roads in urban areas.”
The forum added that the government should also prioritise the revival of industries to create more employment for its economically active population.
