Zimra garnishes Gweru Council accounts

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) recently garnished Gweru City Council's bank accounts to recover over ZWG3 million in unpaid taxes, affecting the council's financial transactions. Mayor Martin Chivhoko disclosed during a council meeting that the garnishment, implemented last Tuesday, led to ZWG2,159,858.83 being transferred to Zimra by the end of last week.

Chivhoko attributed the council's financial strain partly to challenges since the introduction of the Zimbabwe Gold currency. He highlighted that outstanding debts, including ZETDC, Zimra, and LAPF, totaled ZWG26,948,768 as of May 31, 2024. Debt collection efforts have intensified, with government departments owing ZWG17,780,330.

The mayor urged government ministries to settle their debts promptly to ease financial pressures. He emphasized the need for robust debt collection strategies within the council and called for prudent expenditure to align with revenue. In the past, Gweru City Council employed debt collectors to enforce payment from residents and ratepayers.