'Tax on mitumba would be a great injustice'
Citizens are also concerned that a ban on second hand trading will leave many youth without an opportunity for self employment.
What you need to know:
The government in the just ended financial budged 2016/17 tabled a proposal for the increase of a special rate of duty on second-hand clothes and shoes from the current level of $ 0.2 per kg to $ 0.4 per kilogram. This step has been taken to control step by step the importation of second-hand clothes that are found to be unsafe for the health of the people.
Morogoro. Sellers and buyers of second-hand clothing locally known as ‘mitumba’ question the government’s move to impose taxes on the commodities or out rightly ban importation of second hand clothing.
According to a survey conducted by The Citizen, many believe the move would be doing a great injustice to low income earners who depend on informal/second hand trade for an income and as an affordable means to cloth their families.
Furthermore, interviewees expressed concern that many youth would lose their opportunity for self-employment through the trade.
The government in the just ended financial budged 2016/17 tabled a proposal for the increase of a special rate of duty on second-hand clothes and shoes from the current level of $ 0.2 per kg to $ 0.4 per kilogram. This step has been taken to control step by step the importation of second-hand clothes that are found to be unsafe for the health of the people.
However, a concerned party, Mr. Amdin Mohammed Msumi said over taxing second-hand clothes will add costs to ordinary people as a majority of them are small income earners.
“Just imagine, a brand new pair of shoes can be sold for a much as Sh100,000, while a second-hand pair will cost you Sh 9, 000. A pair of second hand jeans can be bought for Sh2 000 to Sh10,000 , an ordinary pair of trousers at sh1 000 to sh2 000, shirts can be bought at Sh.500,” he explained, adding: “Today a T-shirt is sold at Sh.30,000 which man Tanzanians cannot afford.
