Avoid squeezing overburdened taxpayers – UDF

United Democratic Front (UDF) parliamentary chief whip Lillian Patel has appealed to government to avoid squeezing already overburdened taxpayers during implementation of its zero-aid budget.

Malawi President Mutharika told a rally in the commercial city, Blantyre  on Sunday that the budget, due to be presented to Parliament Tuesday  by Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe, will totally be financed by local resources, christening it a zero-aid budget.

But UDF chief whip cautioned against punitive tax on the poor.

“The cost of living is unbearable and people are already heavily taxed,” pointed out Patel.

“ Government should be encouraging small-scale business and that can be done by lowering interest rates which are very high,” Patel added.

Donors have withheld about $150 million in budgetary support following revelations of Cashgate when billions of kwacha were siphoned from government by public officers and private sector.

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