Exempt water from VAT, councillor argues

ONALENNA MODIKWA
Staff Writer | Tuesday November 30, 2010 00:00

Debating her motion, councillor for Thakadiawa Ward, Evlyn Kgodungwe, said Batswana are hardest hit by high water tariffs levied by Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) as it is VAT inclusive. He said this was initially so as the operating costs was geared at higher income earners and said this in turn affected the low-income earners and poorer consumers. 'In addition, the WUC charges VAT on all new connection fees and monthly bills which could mean higher costs for users migrating from the Department of Water Affairs and local authorities,' the councillor argued.

She said in March this year, the government received P62 million in VAT via water charges and P53 million in March 2009. Kgodungwe said these figures indicate that the corporation may be unwilling to forego VAT for its new consumers.  The councillor repeated the Selebi-Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit plea that government should review the VAT on water since it will affect the poverty eradication program, especially for people with water pipes within their plots.

Meanwhile, the contract for bulk waste removal in Botshabelo expired in September this year and the next contract has not been awarded yet. The house was also informed that areas where there were skip bins are under constant surveillance for indiscriminate littering.

The council official, Abel Masilo, also indicated that there has been indiscriminate storage of garden waste in front of yards and said the culprits have been slapped with penalties. He further said following the implementation of the Livestock and Meat Industries Act, the department of Veterinary Services has taken over meat inspection. 

Council's meat inspectors are being transferred to the Veterinary Department but maintenance of the facility remains with council.

He added that the process of relocating clinic services to the Ministry of Health is still underway, with a significant number of health workers having been relocated and being paid through the Health Ministry. He further said transfer and registration of all vehicles by the Central Transport Organisation is complete.

He however said Department of Buildings and Engineering Services have reported that they have not officially been handed over the buildings and that will have far reaching implications with regards to maintenance of the clinics. The council was also informed that the Department of Technical Vocation Education and Training is still carrying out stakeholder consultations pertaining to the expansion of the Selebi-Phikwe Technical College.  The expansion is necessary to accommodate courses that were to be taken at the much anticipated College of Applied Arts and Training whose construction has since been called off. Large numbers of the town residents have registered for the backyard garden initiative in the campaign against poverty. The O'Asis Group of Companies and the Department of Crop Production donated two thousand seedlings which were subsequently distributed among the registered people.

Frequent monitoring of these gardens will be conducted to give the gardeners support and also get feedback from them. SPEDU is expected to source more seedlings and distribute to the remaining registered people.