Zimbabwe’s 2024 budget announced by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube includes a raft of tax hikes and fee increases sparking public outrage. A 67% passport charge boost to $200, making them the priciest in the region, has provoked especially fierce backlash.
With cross-border trade a lifeline for many Zimbabweans amid economic collapse, passports enable vital business travel primarily to South Africa. Their now-prohibitive cost burdens an already struggling populace needing them to make a living.
The passport fee explosion merely headlines wider budget blows, like new property and road toll taxes also condemned for further squeezing Zimbabweans. Critics argue motorists and public transport users face the greatest pain as operators pass on higher fuel and toll expenses.
A proposed tax on soft drink sugar content to fund cancer services, while potentially sound policy, compounds the burden during times of hardship.
Experts have urged Parliament to reject the budget for being anti-people and industry when relief is needed instead. With unemployment touching 85%, Zimbabweans feel punished by the budget’s callousness towards livelihoods.
While revenue realities exist, citizens contend the government continues viewing them as mere problems to pay for financial holes rather than human beings deserving empathy.
