Zimbabwe committee targets June implementation of bookmaker levy hike
Parliamentary committee recommends end-of-June timeline for proposed levy increase as lawmakers seek to expand funding for community development initiatives.
Zimbabwe.- Zimbabwe’s proposed increase in the levy paid by licensed bookmakers could move a step closer to implementation after a parliamentary committee recommended that the measure take effect by the end of June.
The committee reportedly recommended increasing the levy “from 2 per cent to at least 4 per cent by the end of next month”, providing an indication of a proposed implementation timeline for the measure, according to Bulawayo24.
The recommendation emerged from a report by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs, Security Services and War Veterans Affairs, chaired by Exevia Maoneke, which proposed increasing the levy collected through the Lotteries and Gaming Board (LGB) from 2 per cent to 4 per cent.
Lawmakers argued that additional funding would strengthen the LGB’s capacity to support community development projects following parliamentary reviews of healthcare, education and housing initiatives funded through the current levy system.
In its report to Parliament, the committee said: “The committee recommended that the levy collected from licensed bookmakers be increased from 2 per cent to at least 4 per cent to strengthen the Board’s resource base.”
The committee’s review also highlighted a number of governance and operational challenges affecting projects supported by levy funding. Among the issues identified were delays in housing-plan approvals, concerns over the sustainability of completed developments and inefficiencies linked to the LGB board meeting only once every four months.
The findings followed parliamentary inspections of projects in Mutasa, Gutu, Zaka, Lupane and Kadoma. According to the committee, levy-funded initiatives have helped improve access to healthcare, education and maternal services in several rural communities.
The proposed increase remains subject to government approval and has not yet been enacted into law in Zimbabwe.
