Some civil servants are reportedly abusing the duty-free car import facility by importing cars for garages that sell cars and some for their relatives.
In 2022, the Government introduced a duty-free facility to enable civil servants to import vehicles.
For one to benefit from the facility, he or she should have a valid driver’s licence and have served for not less than 10 years in the civil service, among other requirements.
However, it is alleged that some civil servants have been abusing the facility by importing cars for other people including relatives and car dealers for a fee, charging around US$700.
Speaking to The Sunday News on the sidelines of the annual human resources convention hosted by the Institute of People Management of Zimbabwe (IPMZ) in Victoria Falls on Friday, chairperson of Public Service Commissions Rosemary Tsitsi Choruma, said:
We are working with Treasury and Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission to ascertain whether the benefits that we accord to public servants actually benefit the public servants. We are doing our own analysis as Public Service Commission in terms of how far the duty-free programme is benefiting them and who has benefitted and how are they utilizing the benefits.
We understand that some are importing cars for garages that sell cars and some for their relatives.
Our concern is that we cannot allow abuse. I think we have plus or minus 14 000 cars if am not mistaken.
That’s a huge number because it’s not just a free benefit, Government forfeits revenue by allowing these cars to come in.
So, we are saying yes, our employees cannot afford to buy cars, and for you to afford we can remove the tariff but now if our employees are using that tariff to benefit other quotas we wonder.
More: Pindula News
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