OWN CORRESPONDENT, Harare | Wednesday 8.15pm.
ZIMBABWE’s President Robert Mugabe on Thursday marked World Aids Day by defending the country’s proposed Aids levy, which has provoked a public outcry since it was announced in October.
The country said it would introduce a new tax in January to be levied at three percent of individual income and company tax.
Commenting for the first time on the levy, which has been roundly condemned by Zimbabweans, Mugabe told an Aids Day function that its purpose had been misunderstood.
“This has not been properly understood. We have a disease which is incurable which is devastating our society. We have to assist many orphans who are being left behind,” Mugabe said, adding that funds raised would also help Aids sufferers.
Zimbabwe’s powerful labour movement, which last year forced the government to scrap another controversial development levy, is contemplating mass action against the new tax, arguing that Zimbabweans are among the most highly taxed people in the world.
Meanwhile analysts say Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF movement, which caused a bitter row this week by rejecting reform proposals to strip Mugabe of most of his powers, has in so doing strengthened the hand of his political opponents.
“It’s going to backfire. The man is looking like a classic manipulative dictator fighting to hang on to power at whatever cost,” said constitutional law expert Welshman Ncube.
“By digging in while the whole country is expecting him to give way to change he has now totally given his opponents the moral high ground,” said Ncube, who has been campaigning for a civil society-driven constitutional reform programme.