Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube | Zim GBC News Editor
In a major move to stimulate economic growth, Cabinet has approved sweeping reductions in licences, permits, levies and fees across the retail and wholesale sectors, a decision chaired by His Excellency President Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa during the Thirtieth Cabinet Meeting today.
The reforms, described as part of broader business reforms approved in July, aim to “reduce the cost of doing business, increase competitiveness and enhance the growth of the Zimbabwean economy.”
Significant reductions announced include the Liquor Licence application fee being slashed to US$20 across all sectors, down from as high as US$1,080 for wholesale liquor licences. In a bold move, the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe permit for veterinary products trade, pegged at US$200, has been completely removed, along with the Local Authority bakery licence fee of US$703.
“The threshold of fees for all Local Authorities is being capped, for uniformity,” Cabinet announced, signaling a move towards standardizing costs nationwide.
Cross-cutting reforms also saw substantial cuts, including:
· PRAZ regulatory licence on groceries reduced from US$120 to US$20
· Health Report licence fee reduced by 50% from US$661
· NSSA Elevator registration fee cut from US$200 to US$20
· Bank charges and transfer fees reduced to promote banking
However, analysts remain sceptical about the implementation timeline. This skepticism stems from previous Cabinet approvals, particularly concerning clamping and parking fees in urban areas, which have yet to be formalized through Statutory Instruments despite being announced in earlier sittings.
The government has assured that “the reviewed licences, permits and fees will be subjected to further refinements and the appropriate schedule shall be duly gazetted,” though no specific timeline has been provided for the gazetting process.
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