TRADE UNIONS AGAINST 1.5% TAX HIKE, CALLING FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND FAIRNESS.

Article By: Gilbert Manenye

Botswana’s 6+1 cooperating trade unions have opposed the government’s proposed 1.5% increase in corporate tax and the top income tax bracket, warning that the move would hurt workers and businesses already under pressure.

Speaking at a joint press conference held in Gaborone yesterday, BOPEU’s Deputy Secretary General Ketlha-peleng Karabo said the government should first address inefficiencies and financial leakages within its own system before resorting to raising taxes.

Karabo further pointed to widespread wastage in public spending and called for a more equitable taxation model as gaps they government should use to enhance domestic resource mobilization.