CIVIL societies this week put up what was perhaps the most intense lobbying and campaigning activity to stop the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union, and earned respite until November. As the EU delegation in the country had already signaled its exasperation over what it called ‘indecisiveness’ on that issue, chances that signing will be postponed again or otherwise ‘rejected’ as the CSOs have been arguing, are next to nil. Even at this time the postponement can be comprehended as a sort of consideration for President Jakaya Kikwete; he has already plenty on his hands when he faces the electorate, and new demonstrations against EAC-EPA accords wouldn’t help.
Yet there is an environment where civil societies expect that between now and November it is the European Union which should have learnt to understand our argument, whereas in reality it is the opposite that should take place. The sooner governmental authorities start explaining to both the legislature and the public at large that this is no longer a world in which one sticks to the same old public sector based arguments, the better. See how countries are virtually exploding in Europe when they fail to carry the size of the public sector debt, and Tanzania continues to postpone the days when it will start facing up to the realities; radicals, socialist ideologies won’t allow public authorities a minute to reflect.

ERIC TOROKA & MNAKU MBANI

LESS than a week to 'National Budget Day' in East Africa which is slated for June 10 this year, observers who spoke to Business Times on the Tanzania Government Budget proposals for the 2010/11 financial year – all of experts in their chosen careers – expressed misgivings almost to a man.

Perhaps with the exception of the commissioner-general of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), Harry Kitilya, other respondents to our random survey had very definitive views on the proposals.

This was after the minister for Finance & Economic Affairs, Mustafa Mkulo, had unveiled preliminary outlines of the tentative budget before members of the Standing Parliamentary Committee on Finance & Economy in Dar es Salaam on May 31.

Pointedly asked to give the position of the State's largest revenue administrator regarding the revenue collection aspect of the new budget, TRA chief Kitilya was understandably enough noncommittal.

“We have got so many plans on it, and only time will tell,” Kitilya said somewhat enigmatically.

However, that reply notwithstanding, Kitilya stressed that TRA was willing, able and ready to receive and act on proposals from any quarter on how to improve revenue collection.

Other commentators were not as secretive... They almost all
criticized the revenue collection targets for FY-2010/11 as being unrealistically low. This is especially so in the face of the enormous potentials that are available to the Government in terms of a broadened tax base, more vigorous tax collection efforts and plugging extant revenue-loss loopholes.