Zimbabwe Diaspora not paying tax to lose citizenship – VP Emmerson Mnangagwa
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Tags: First Lady Grace Mugabe, President Robert Mugabe, Vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa
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PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe’s government is drafting a new constitutional amendment that would automatically cancel citizenship from anyone who would have stayed abroad for five years without paying tax to his government, a development that is set to make millions of Zimbabweans stateless.
Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is also minister of Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, revealed that the government is in the process of drafting an Constitutional Amendment Number 2, which would, among other things, revoke citizenship for citizens living abroad who do not pay tax to the Harare administration.
Mnangagwa told Zimbo Today.com in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of President Mugabe’s 93 rd birthday in Matopos at the weekend that the upcoming law is a result pressure from Zimbabweans at home who want the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship to be shared among all those that claim to be Zimbos. “Citizenship comes with responsibility, so if one is living in any part of the world and they are paying taxes there, naturally they have to apply for citizenship of that country of their choice. One cannot continue to insist to be a Zimbabwean by name only without sharing the responsibilities that comes with being a citizen like paying taxes,” Mnangagwa explained.
He added that under this upcoming law, which is still at the drafting stage, once one’s has been out of Zimbabwe for five years, their citizenship automatically expires, after which those who would want to continue holding on to Zimbabwean citizenship would have to apply. It is at this applications stage that the applicants will have to justify why they would want to remain citizens of Zimbabwe when they are not contributing anything to its upkeep. However, the law will not affect those Diasporans who opt to pay tax to the government. “We are still at the stage of drafting the law and once the Bill is out, there would be nation-wide—not world-wide—consultations similar to the ones currently taking place on Amendment Number One on the appointment of the Chief Justice, so that members of the public can make their own inputs before it becomes a law.
I have to emphasise that this is not our idea as government, but that of Zimbabweans who think there are people out there who should cease to be citizens because they are not contributing anything to the collective responsibility of citizens. “The Bill should be ready for public debate in the second quarter of this year, that is when Zimbabweans and all other interested parties in the country will be able to make their contributions. However, these outreach programmes will only be done here in Zimbabwe, so whoever is abroad and wants to contribute will have to return to the country,” the Vice President added. There are more than five million Zimbabweans living and working abroad. In the past the government has tried to get them to pay tax, but this appeared to be impossible. Mnangagwa said once the Amendment becomes law, it will be applied retroactively, from 2013, when the new Constitution became effective. This will mean it would affect any Zimbo who has been out of the country for five years from 2013.
This is not fair at all, how do you pay tax to a govt that is constantly stealing from its people.
We were paying tax while in Zim but no up keep of the country did we see being carried out. Hanti makatora Marange and eating the money moga let that pay our taxes, xaaaa!!!!!!
Tinongo dzoka chete ikoko, you chased away whites and think you can do the same nesu.
Robert Mugabe is rated by virtually all international groups as one of the worst dictators in the World. In public he has been denounced by human rights groups, African and European leaders. In private even those that support him in public don’t like him.
Former cabinet minsters and those in government who used to work with him blame him and his plans for the poor state their country is in. Mugabe continues to play the race card, blaming white people living there and abroad on why his country is doing poorly. It works and might be the only reason he still is in power. Even with brainwashing and Racism he would have lost the last election if he didn’t fix the results.
He is one of the worst leaders Africa has had in the Post Colonial age and will be remembered as such generations later. I can only hope his exit is peaceful and fast and Zimbabwe can recover.