THE Zimbabwe government’s new tariff regime, which came into effect late last year, has not given the country any tangible benefits as there has been no increase in revenue, net foreign exchange inflows, investment or employment, a joint report by two consultancy firms said this week. The consultants have urged the government to review the tariff structure urgently for it to be consistent with Zimbabwe’s needs. The report, by Feta Services and Techfin Research, presented to a tariff review consultative meeting in Harare on Wednesday established that the introduction of the new tariff structure is not having the desired effects but instead worsening the country’s economic problems. The country’s export sector continued to perform very poorly despite the tariff hike which was aimed at reducing import flows. There was no evident improvement in the foreign currency reserves.
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