THE recent call by Zimbabwe Revenue Authority Commissioner-General Gershem Pasi for all government departments to remit their revenue collections to Treasury showed that government was in a state of panic due to lack of funds, analysts said yesterday. CHIEF REPORTER
Pasi on Monday appealed to police and the Zimbabwe National Roads Authority (Zinara) to remit the money they collected from roadblocks and tollgates to Treasury to enhance accountability.
Economic analyst Eric Bloch said: “The government is becoming more and more bankrupt. All money should be channeled to treasury and there should be proper control systems. It is a matter of principle.”
Head of Research, Econometer Global Capital Christopher Takunda Mugaga said all money should be remitted to Treasury to plug leakages and ensure accountability. He said the move to allow the police and Zinara to retain all the money they collected was breeding corruption.
“Very soon government will fail to pay workers if it does not plug all holes in revenue collection,” Mugaga said.
Another economic analyst Emmanuel Mugadza said to have the police and Zinara remit funds to Treasury was a noble idea considering that government coffers were fast running dry.
“All funds should be put in one basket and distributed by Treasury,” Mugadza said.
Ex-Finance minister Tendai Biti said the request by Pasi after government snubbed his repeated calls showed that the broke Zanu PF government was stuck and the “the chickens were coming home to roost”.
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He said government could be losing in excess of $10 million every month through leakages.
“There are many streams of streams of parallel fund that are not recognised by the Constitution. Now they have huge problems. No salaries to pay civil servants. Mark my words, by August, this country will be dead,” Biti said.
He said not only the police and Zinara were pocketing the money but there were many other institutions like the Environmental Management agency, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe that were doing the same.
“There are a multiple pockets collecting funds but do not channeling the money to Treasury,” he said.
“There is no political will to support Pasi’s call. [Finance minister Patrick] Chinamasa and Pasi can cry until cows come home. The system is rotten. The biggest challenge is the leadership. The country has no leader. The ship has no captain and the country is in the middle of an economic hurricane. That the ship will sink is inevitable.”
He added: “They are now clamoring for that they had been shouted for. The country’s fund is controlled by the consolidated revenue fund. It is the only recognised by the Constitution.”
