Author

Mbongeni Mguni
Financial Journalist

Twitter: @MboBW

Email: [email protected]
  • BURS sets sights on P61bn tax target

    Generally, mineral taxes anchor the country’s tax receipts but for the 2023–24 fiscal year, the customs union revenues will take centre stage, rising to about P25 billion from P14.4 billion in the current financial year.The latest forecasts are...

  • BoB gives banks free rein on lending rates

    The central bank argues that freeing up the prime lending rates will “facilitate market competition and fair pricing of credit and other lending products,” although the BoB will monitor implementation and “enforce good business...

  • Letlole finalises P53m sale of Moedi House

    In a notice to the Botswana Stock Exchange, LLR directors said a sale deal was being finalised with Shining Sun Investments Proprietary Limited for Moedi House.According to records at the Copyright and Intellectual Property Authority, 51% of the...

  • Govt removes VAT on salt, pads, veggies, cooking oil, diapers

    According to a notice in the government gazette, the Ministry also wants to zero rate agricultural implements and condoms while exempting private health services from charging VAT. The proposed amendments to the VAT Act come after Finance Minister,...

  • Banks set for record profits

    Previously, the highest after-tax profits the banks enjoyed was in 2018 at P2.02 billion.Bank of Botswana (BoB) figures released recently indicate that in the first 11 months of last year, the country’s commercial banks raised their net interest...

  • The difficulty of spending P13bn in a year

    An analysis of the development budget and how it has been spent in the past few years, does little to raise confidence that Finance Minister, Peggy Serame’s proposed allocation of P12.7 billion for projects, will see each and every thebe go where...

  • Acid test for 54-year old marriage

    President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s remarks in his home village of Moshupa on Sunday have set the diamond world buzzing, as they hinted for the first time that the 54-year “marriage” between government and De Beers may not be as rosy as has been...

  • Botswana ratifies pan-African trade deal

    The AfCFTA is the world’s largest free trade area developed under the auspices of the African Union (AU) to enable the free flow of goods and services across the continent. It is estimated that the AfCFTA has the potential both to boost...

  • Fears of economic slowdown persist

    Key sectors such as diamonds and tourism, dependent on external demand, will be affected.Speaking during First National Bank Botswana’s post-budget briefing recently, Cairns said an additional concern for Botswana was the uncertainty load-shedding...

  • ODC revenues pass $1bn; De Beers, gov’t wrangle

    The revenues in 2022 were an all-time high for the ODC, the 11-year old wholly government-owned company that is entitled to purchase up to 25% of Debswana’s output. ODC was borne out of the 2011 negotiations between government and De Beers for a...

  • Veggie import ban reaches moment of truth

    Authorities at the Ministry of Agriculture are having a difficult time accepting the statistics they are seeing about the progress farmers have made since the ban on certain vegetables began last January.According to the figures, the total number of...

  • Gov’t revisits ‘tighter’ fiscal rule as deficits persist

    Under the rule, 40% of mineral revenues in any particular financial year would be saved for future generations, through investment in the Pula Fund managed by the Bank of Botswana.The budget has been running deficits since 2017–18, peaking at P16.4...

  • Mahalapye cooking oil dream dies

    Christopher Nakabale told BusinessMonitor that despite promises made at top government level to support local manufacturing, Lupro had failed to secure any business over the years, while debts and running costs were piling up. Lupro, a wholly...

  • Govt debt payments to increase by P7bn

    According to draft budget estimates made available this week, the Ministry wants to set aside P17.1 billion for the repayment of interest and principle on various domestic and external loans in the upcoming financial year. This compares to P10.4...

  • New Entrepreneurship Ministry kicks off with P1bn

    The bulk of the Ministry’s budget, or about 51 percent, will be taken up by support to the Local Enterprise Authority, the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency and the Out of School youth programmes, which have been moved from other...

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