Tax review call
Opposition leader Jeremiah Manele has called for a review of the current tax regime, with a view to reduce personal tax.
He said the current tax structure is considered to be an ingredient for personal poverty.
“Individual employees in the public and private sectors are heavily taxed on their incomes, while at the same time they pay goods and sales tax,” Manele said.
“Our workforces have been overtaxed,” he said while speaking in parliament on the 2015 national budget.
Manele said he welcomed the government’s proposed review of the minimum wage rate with a view to increasing it.
He said a review is long overdue.
Job creation queried
Opposition leader Jeremiah Manele has questioned how many new jobs the $4.18 billion 2015 national budget will create.
Finance minister Snyder Rini has said the objective of any national budget is to ensure the provision and delivery of social services, as well as, create economic growth including employment opportunities for its people.
Speaking in parliament, Manele said while this is true, it’s not clear how many jobs the 2015 budget will create.
“Can the Minister or Government tell us how many jobs the 2015 budget will create? Manele asked.
“The creation of jobs is vital for our country given our increasing youth unemployment,” he added.
“Future budget outlooks and strategy must contain an analysis of how many employment opportunities or jobs the budget will generate for that year.”
MDG brief needed
The Government should provide a brief analysis of where the country is in terms of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
MDGs are a set of eight goals the United Nations wanted each country to achieve by this year.
Some of these goals include eradication of poverty, basic education for all, and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Opposition leader Jeremiah Manele said the Finance minister Snyder Rini should provide a brief analysis of where we are in terms of the goals and where we are heading in terms of our preparations to accommodate and implement the post 2015 sustainable development goals.
Obstacle to development
Political instability is one of the obstacles to development in this country over the last 37 years.
That’s according to Opposition leader Jeremiah Manele. He was speaking in parliament on the 2015 national budget.
The review of the Political Parties Integrity Act is therefore critical in order to address this, Manele added.
“I trust the allocation of $1.7 million in the 2015 budget, will enable the Government to undertake the review and bring to Parliament the necessary amendments to the Act, as well as, the corresponding constitutional amendments to make the Act effective, especially when it comes to the formation of a government after elections.”
Question over Federalism
A big question hanging over the proposed Federal System of government is affordability.
Work on the proposed system is well underway, with a draft Federal Constitution already in place.
But Opposition leader Jeremiah Manele said even with the current Provincial Government system a number of provinces are struggling to keep their finances in order and lack the required manpower.
“Adequate human and financial resources as well as robust institutions are keys to sustaining a federal system,” Manele said.
“I trust that with the allocation of $40 million per year for the next five years, the second phase of the Provincial Government Strengthening Program will continue to build the institutional, human resources capacity, and financial capability of our provinces.”
How to tackle corruption
Tackling corruption needs a holistic approach, Opposition leader Jeremiah Manele says.
He added review and reforms of the existing accountability institutions including the police and judiciary must precede the establishment of the proposed Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Meanwhile, Manele said he welcomed the inclusion of Parliamentary Autonomy in the DCCG policies and strategies.
But unfortunately he said there is nothing in the 2015 budget allocated to this initiative which if pursued and completed should enhance the independence of our Legislature and our work as Members of Parliament.
Productive sector crucial
Opposition leader Jeremiah Manele has highlighted the importance of the productive sector to the economy.
Speaking in parliament, he said the Forestry Sector remains an important source of government revenue, but the level of logging has been unsustainable.
“The Government must invest more in reforestation, and the land owners themselves must also take the initiative to replant trees in logged areas.”
More rural training centres needed
Government must upgrade and build more rural training centres to accommodate the huge number of drop outs at the primary and secondary levels.
That’s according to Opposition leader Jeremiah Manele.
“There is also a need to review the Rural Training Centre curriculums so that they can respond appropriately to the labour needs and demands of our economy,” he added.
“I trust that the review of the Education Act will look into some of these issues so that we ensure there is both quality and quantity in terms of human resources development in the country.
“We need not only a well-educated and trained labour force but also a healthy and productive one.
“So Health and Medical Services will continue to be a priority for any Government.
“The scourge of non-communicable diseases is a serious threat to our people including our labour force, a threat that requires our attention and collective effort to address,” Manele said.
