Citizens First Party president Harry Kalaba has blamed the current economic hardships in Zambia on the New Dawn Administration, led by the United Party for National Development (UPND). In an interview on DC Talk Radio, Kalaba criticized the UPND for giving tax holidays to mines, while Zambians struggle with poverty.
Kalaba stated that the UPND government, through their reckless management decisions, has caused the high cost of living in the country. He cited the example of the UPND government combining the Mineral Royalty Tax with Cooperation Tax, allowing mines to pay less taxes for the next five years. “It is good to understand that the high cost of living has been brought about by the UPND government and not the PF. It is the UPND government thought their reckless management decisions. The UPND government, the first thing they did was to give money to the mines,” he said.
Kalaba also criticized the removal of subsidies on fuel and electricity by the UPND government, which has led to the escalation of prices of essential commodities. He said that while prices of essential commodities are escalating, mines are popping Champaign bottles. “And because government has made that reckless decision, the mines now are drinking wine and Champaign and the people that are now suffering are the Zambians,” he said.
The Citizens First Party president also took issue with the UPND’s tendency to blame their failures on the previous Patriotic Front (PF) regime. “And this nonsense of always trying to refer to the previous regime is not correct. It is irritating to see them blame their failures on their predecessor,” he said. “The UPND are wasting your time, they are wasting my time because there is nothing they are doing apart from gallivanting all over…The PF had many flaws, that is why some of us resigned. But even when the PF had many flaws, I don’t think that gives the UPND an open check to always be talking about the previous regime.”
