YOUTH and sport minister Mr Chishimba Kambwili says his ministry would seek to get government’s approval to introduce sports levy on non-essential items to support the development of sport in the country.
And Mr Kambwili says some foreign companies operating in Africa should change their attitude by being more responsive in supporting sport on the Continent.
During a panel discussion with fellow ministers of sport from Ghana and Nigeria, Mr Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah and Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi respectively, on the relationship between government and sport, and how the two are closely interlinked, at the ongoing Soccerex African Forum 2013 in Durban, South Africa today, Mr Kambwili said his ministry had already done the write-up which would be submitted to Cabinet to introduce sports levy on items like cigarettes, beer and mobile phones, towards supporting sport in the country rather than using government coffers to do so.
Mr Kambwili noted the importance of providing incentives for companies who were already providing support towards football and other sport in the country.
Commenting on the observation by Ghana Football Association deputy Secretary General Mr Ibrahim Sannie Daara that despite companies like Standard Chartered Bank making most of their profits in Africa and Asia, they were more prone to supporting European football teams such as Liverpool than ploughing back into Africa, Mr Kambwili said he agreed with the observation.
“It’s a question about attitude. They don’t care about Africa but where they come from. I have never received even a cheque of US$1 from Standard Chartered (towards support for the national team),” he said.
Nigerian Minister for sport Mr Abdullahi concurred with the observations, saying he knew of some banks and telecoms companies who were supporting European teams like Manchester United and Arsenal, but that Africans should find ways of making their sports products marketable.
He added that the Continent should look at the value addition of sport beyond winning of medals, but how that medium translated into more social and economic gains for the respective economies.
On the support rendered by government towards sports, Mr Kambwili said he was impressed with the support from government as the Ministry recently saw a budgetary increase in the allocation from K67 billion to K120 billion, which mainly went into infrastructure development.
He also said ministers should guard against stretching their authority to begin acting like local football association presidents, as that was what usually brought conflicts.
On the same issue, Ghanian sport Minister Mr Afriyie-Ankrah said his Ministry and the local FA had resolved to focus on the common objectives.
He said Africans should focus more on growing their economies to attract private investment into sport, because the general economic growth and private business were intricately linked.
Nigeria’s Mr Abdullahi mentioned the need to build systems which would live outlive the minister’s tenure to ensure sustainability.
More money out of pocket. Water is up, fuel is up. salaries down, now he want milk the little am remaining with. Sports Levy.
Vote for PF, more money in your pockets and less taxes?
They do not realize how much tax people are already paying. The proposed sports levy would most probably just benefit FAZ and the national team. Millions of Kwacha are already ploughed into FAZ each year. Very soon they will propose a “Speech” tax for opening one’s mouth.
Sure, are mobile phones non essentials in this era? The government can mobilise enough funds from companies. Just come up with the best strategy to tax them.
This unfit fat sports minister can raise a lot of money by going on a sponsored fast.
The introduction of levys on non essntial goods will be a good move, but my worry is about the owners of the company who i think will transfer the burden of levys to us the consumer. At the end you will find that the price of goods and services will increase.
Kambwili, please use the money saved from removal of subsidies on fuel and fertilizer. That should be enough for these losers!
but why should that be the case when all you do is this is finale: gabbon disaster national staduim , renard is not going anywhere that is finale
They promised fewer and lesser taxes and now they dream of even more higher taxes to sustain their bloated …. And castles in the air … And to make up for the 57% impending budget deficit because of government extravagance … And to pay extra debt they have put us in fast approaching 50% of GDP!
Only in Zambia where you hear a government increasing tax on building materials because more people are building or increasing taxes on cell phones because Kambwili thinks more people can afford these ‘non essentials’.
These guys are going to chock the Zambian economy! Instead of stimulating economic growth, they are doing the very things that kill an economy!
Give us a break! I think citizens need to participate in these decisions, not just so called Cabinet and government!!!
These are useless views from one side. The question is has Kambwili or any of the other two gone to ask for assistance from the foreign companies? You do not just sit in your offices and expect the companies to come and give you money. How come the same foreign companies are supportive in countries such as South Africa? Be proactive. So kambwili wants to inroduce sports levy on some items? Where will levy galore stop? Next will be tourism levy, followed by health levy, chiefs affairs levy, foreign affairs levy, legal affairs levy, works and supply levy, etc. The folly is they have refused to reintroduce the windfall tax for the mines. Wish you luck in your levy crusade.
….good thought….off course consumers will have to pay….but the question is…what assurance is there that the ‘levy’ remitted to govt will be used on sport and not bye elections or fuels for govt officers etc….???….evidence is there on ‘fuel levy’….some roads are in a very bad state despite the huge levy being remitted to govt
I think it would be better for sports mother bodies to enter in serious business ventures, than putting the burden on consumers.
already tv levy is not producing any good results,BRAZIL VS ZAMBIA I DOUBT IF they will show it, now it this levy you just want to make sure every thing is out of our pockets why not for mp and ministers alone?