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Antonio Mwanza, leader of the Democratic Progressive Party, has urged the government to reduce the regulatory burden on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), saying the cost of doing business in Zambia remains excessively high.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Saturday, Mwanza called on the government to expand credit guarantee schemes and promote lower-interest lending to SMEs to help them invest, grow and create jobs.
He also pushed for a unified and harmonised compliance system to eliminate duplication of licences, certificates and inspections — a move he said would save businesses significant time and resources.
“The challenge is not simply the tax rate but the cumulative burden of multiple statutory obligations,” Mwanza said, citing turnover tax, PAYE, NAPSA contributions, workers’ compensation and other compliance requirements.
Mwanza warned that the current framework risked undermining economic recovery, discouraging investment and slowing job creation.
“Government must collect revenue, but if businesses collapse, there will be no revenue to collect,” he emphasized.
He further recommended predictable electricity tariff structures, incentives for alternative energy investment and strict enforcement of the 30-day payment rule for government suppliers.
Mwanza stressed that SMEs were strategic partners in national development and urged the government to make business registration simple, affordable and beneficial.
“Reducing the cost of doing business is not a concession; it is an investment in Zambia’s long-term growth and fiscal sustainability,” he stated.
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