Non-governmental Gender Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) Executive Director Anne Mbewe Anamela has said the 2023 National Budget should be gender sensitive.
Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane is expected to unveil the 2023 National Budget in Parliament on Friday, 30th September 2022.
Ms. Anamela said NGOCC expects the 2023 National Budget to be gender sensitive and responsive to address the unique needs of girls, boys, women and men if sustainable development is to be achieved.
She said there is need for the Government to ensure that the unique needs of women and men in the national budget are addressed.
Ms. Anamela said the women’s movement has already made tax and non-tax proposals to the Ministry of Finance during the budget formulation.
She said the Government should allocate adequate resources to the key sectors, thus, 20% to the Education sector; 15% to sector Health, 10% to the Agriculture sector and 5% to Social Protection.
“The Non-governmental Gender Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has called upon the New Dawn administration to ensure that the 2023 National Budget is gender sensitive and responsive to address the unique needs of girls, boys, women and men if sustainable development is to be achieved. Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane is expected to announce the 2023 National Budget in Parliament this Friday, 30th September 2022. As a reminder of the women’s movement tax and non-tax proposals made to the Ministry of Finance and National Planning in June this year, there is need for the Government to ensure that the unique needs of women and men in the national budget are adressed. More specifically, Government should allocate adequate resources to the key sectors, thus, 20% to the Education sector; 15% to sector Health, 10% to the Agriculture sector and 5% to Social Protection in line with the different regional and international treaties,” Ms. Anamela said.
She added that most vulnerable women, and children, depend on social sector delivery by the Government hence the need to prioritize the social protection sector.
“The Government should for example, fulfil its commitment under the Abuja Declaration by allocating the said 15% of the national budget to the health sector. The most vulnerable in our society, women, and children, depend on social sector delivery by the Government. It is therefore imperative that the allocation and disbursements to these social sectorsbe prioritized. We further expect that Maternal and child health should be prioritised within the health sector.NGOCC also calls on the new dawn government to broaden the tax base in the 2023 National Budget in order to boost domestic revenue collection. This should include introducing equitable tax measures in the informal sector. It is our hope that Government will zero rate consumption tax (VAT) on essential food items to ensure poor female headed households meet their basic needs.
She said the NGOCC wants the Government to increase the current tax-free threshold from the current K4,500 to Z5,000 as food and the general cost of living have increased.
“Further, Government should increase the current tax-free threshold from ZMW 4,500 to ZMW5,000 as food and the general cost of living have increased. Government must allocate sufficient resources to the full implementation of the Anti-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Act, especially targeting the review of the Act; training of Law Enforcement and Judicial Officers, establishment of the Anti-GBV Fund, construction of shelters countrywide and the establishment of Fast Track courts in all provincial centers to handle GBV cases. It is also our hope that the Government will prioritise the operationalisation of the Gender Equity and Equality Act (GEEA) to establish the Gender Commission,” Ms. Anamela said.
“It is also our expectation that the Government will make provision for the Constitutional review process to ensure that the lacunas in the 2016 Amended Constitution are addressed. As we have stated before, for the women’s movement the inclusion of the expanded Bill of Rights remains a priority. It is our hope that the Government will also make provisions for the holding of a stand-alone National Referendum to ensure that the expanded Bill of Rights is included in the Constitution,” she concluded.
Stakeholders are giving out their expectations ahead of the 2023 National Budget presentation to Parliament set for this Friday, 30th September, 2022.
The Government has been urged to allocate more funding to Agriculture Research Centres in the 2023 national budget.
Zambians United for Sustainable Development (ZUSD) President Lazarus Chisela said the budget for 2022 did not address challenges facing the agriculture sector especially research centres.
Meanwhile, Ndola District Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NDCCI) President Paul Chisunka said the National Budget should balance supply-side economics with demand-side economics