Government urged to revise airtime levy

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BUSINESS has called on the government to revise its treatment of levies on mobile telecommunications services, saying the current arrangement amounts to double taxation and threatens operators’ viability.
In 2014, the Treasury introduced a special excise duty on airtime (SED) at five percent, which was subsequently revised to 10 percent in 2017.
According to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, the levy is a direct tax, meaning that the sale value upon which it is charged forms part of gross income for tax purposes.

This also means that the levy is not allowable as an income tax deduction and this, the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) says, results in “double-taxation.”