Ministers’ inaction costs govt billions

Public Accounts Committee chairman Zitto Kabwe speaks in Parliament yesterday.  PHOTO| EDWIN MJWAHUZI 

Dodoma. Parliament heard yesterday how inaction on the part of ministers costs the government billions of shillings in uncollected tax money as MPs continued to expose budget funding loopholes.

In a scenario reminiscent of last week’s hue and cry over widespread corruption and embezzlement of public funds by government officials, more committee reports continued to expose more rot—to the chagrin of lawmakers.

Matters have not been helped by the fact that a huge budget deficit means many development projects in the MPs’ home constituencies have stalled while elections are just around the corner, a situation that could cost them dearly in the October polls.

The debate in Parliament has thus taken a singular pattern: emotional MPs pointing accusing fingers at the front bench, with some calling for immediate dismissal of ministers whose dockets have disappointed.

Yesterday was the turn of Tourism and Natural Resources minister Lazaro Nyalandu, Water minister Jumanne Maghembe, Agriculture minister Stephen  Wassira and Lands minister William Lukuvi to be fried as MPs continued to express their anger on the  wastage of taxpayers’ funds.            

According to Kigoma North MP, Mr Zitto Kabwe (Chadema), the ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlement Development has failed to collect billions of shillings due to its officials’ failure to record title deeds which have been issued.

Debating the Lands Committee report, Mr Kabwe noted that the ministry issued 263,000 title deeds in 2013/14 but it is only 22,000 that have been recorded.

“This means that the ministry has missed Sh103 billion which would have been collected if all these title deeds were recorded,” he said.

On the other hand, the committee noted that the country has been missing an average of Sh2 billion a month simply because minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Lazaro Nyalandu failed to gazette a court ruling.

According to the committee chairman, Mr James Lembeli, on September 12 last year the High Court in Arusha Zone issued a ruling in a case filed by owners of hotels in national parks, to contest a decision by Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa) to replace the concessional rate taxation system with fixed rate.

In the ruling, Mr Lembeli said, the High Court sided with Tanapa and ordered the ministry to gazette the new system so that it comes into effect.

“Amazingly, since this ruling was issued, the ministry has not gazetted the new taxation system as required by law. This caused Tanapa and Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCCA) a loss amounting to Sh2 billion monthly,” said Mr Lembeli.

In his contribution, Mr Kabwe said if collected, the money would have been used by Tanapa and NCCA to bail out the cash-stripped national carrier, ATCL.

“In our (Public Accounts Committee) report we suggested several ways of rescuing ATCL and we noted that partnership with Tanapa and other tourism-related entities was among the approaches,” he said.

While the committee suggested that the minister gazette the new taxation system by January 28, Mr Kabwe wanted Mr Nyalandu to tender his resignation letter to the President in case he fails to tell the Parliament yesterday evening on steps he has taken to fulfil the court ruling.

Meanwhile, the committee said in its report that there was no possibility of finding a lasting solution to growing land conflicts in the country because only a small fraction of the land has been surveyed and mapped.

Mr Lembeli noted when tabling the report that out of total 11,000 villages in the country, only 1,000 have well-mapped land use plans and only 10 out of 25 regional headquarters have town master plans.

At district level, it is only 20 towns which have such plans out of the country’s 110.

“It is apparent that the Lands Planning Commission has failed to do its work especially in doing research on land issues, more so in areas with conflicts and this is all traceable to shortage of funds,” he said.

At the same time, the committee advised the government to repossess large farms which have been abandoned by owners and distribute them to landless wananchi.

“Many of these farms have turned into hiding places for armed robbers and they have also been a source of clashes between the owners and villagers who encroach on them,” he said.

Furthermore, the committee asked the government to immediately pay people who were involved in executing Operesheni Tokomeza.

Mr Lembeli told Parliament that these people were paid 13-days’ allowances only though they worked for 31. He said a total of Sh3.9 billion was collected from Tanapa, Tanzania Forest Agency, NCCA and Wildlife Fund.

“This money was entrusted to the ministry and the demand by the game wardens put into consideration the extra days they worked after the operation was officially halted,” he said.