By KENNEDY MUPESENI –
MINE Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) has urged ex-miners currently receiving tax refunds from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to invest in agriculture.
Currently, hundreds of ex-miners, who lost employment, are receiving tax refunds in Kitwe.
Secretary general Joseph Chewe said ex-miners have no option but to invest in farming.
“We are happy that Government is implementing all the promises made after thousands lost employment in the mines due to low commodity prices on the international market,” Mr Chewe said.
He said this in an interview in Kitwe yesterday.
Mr Chewe called for a serious change of mindset if the country’s economy was to change for better.
“We need a mindset change, as a union we are demonstrating to the members on the need to diversify the economy and I think they should follow suit.
“The union is developing a milling plant which will require raw materials which will create more market for maize and other products which they should take advantage of,” he said.
Due to constitutional changes that took effect in January as a result of presidential assent to the new constitution which made changes to the pension taxation, it was imperative that those, whose employment contracts came to an end after January, get refunds.
A long queue has been forming since Monday June 27, 2016, as recipients excitedly wait to be paid the refunds.
