By Staff Reporter
PF presidential aspirant Chishimba Kambwili says African leaders giving tax concessions to foreign investors are criminals, and that he smells a rat over the issues surrounding KCM
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Kambwili urged Zambians to resist anyone trying to give concessions to the mining companies.
“My words are just (Rwandan President Paul) Kagame’s words. Those who are giving tax concessions, African leaders giving tax concessions are criminals. I will not even beat about the bush. Africa will continue suffering,” he said.
Kambwili argued that the country privatized the mines in order to attract foreign direct investment so that the mines could up production in order for Zambia to maximise the benefits through taxation.
He said Zambia did not privatize the mines in order to continue giving them tax holidays so that they could exploit the resources without the country benefiting.
Kambwili said the only time the country meaningfully benefited from the mines after the privatisation process, was during a brief period when late president Levy Mwanawasa introduced the windfall tax, but the same minister of Finance today, Dr Situembeko Musokotwane, who served in the same capacity after Rupiah Banda succeeded Mwanawasa removed the windfall tax and gave further concessions to the mining companies, in the same manner it was happening now.
He demanded that Dr Musokotwane should tell the country what his benefit was in the concessions, describing plans to give tax holidays to the mines as a scandal.
“This is a dirty deal that Zambians must fight and fight through the last drop of our blood,” Kambwili said, adding that minerals were a diminishing asset, citing the example of mines in Luanshya which were shut down while the investors were still enjoying tax holidays.
“What have the people of Luanshya benefited from tax holidays?…Nchanga underground, the reserves are depleted. They were depleted when we had given the concessions. Nchanga Open Pit the reserves are depleted. What has the community in Chingola and the miners in Chingola benefited?” he asked.
Kambwili charged that the country could not allow a few people receiving kickbacks and giving concessions in return to the investors at the expense of the country.
He wondered why the government would even consider giving tax holidays to the mining companies if the coffers were truly empty as they claimed, urging Zambians to stand up and say no to mining concessions, and suggesting that instead of giving concessions, it would be better to nationalise the mines so that all the profits could remain in the country.
Kambwili wondered how many times Zambians would be promised that they should sacrifice for the mining investors in order for their to increase their production from which they would benefit, something he said the people have yet to see.
“This is a deal, some people are ea… https://dailyrevelationzambia.com/african-leaders-who-give-concessions-to-investors-are-criminals-kambwili-zambians-must-fight-against-concessions-to-the-last-drop-of-blood/
