President Lazarus Chakwera has signed into law six more Bills which Parliament passed in the ongoing Budget Meeting, including the Appropriations Act which authorises Treasury to raise money and spend.
The other Bills are International Development Association loan authorisation allowing government to receive K265 billion as grants from World Bank through the association.
Out of the amount, K150 billion is for Water and Sanitation Project to be implemented by the Blantyre Water Board for the improvement of water supply and sanitation systems in Blantyre City. The second package under Bill Number 3 of 2023 amounting to K115 billion is for social support for resilient livelihoods projects.
In a statement issued yesterday, the State House Press Office said other Bills are Customs and Excise Act (Amendment), Taxation Act (Amendment) and Value Added Tax (Amendment).
The Customs and Excise, Taxation and Value Added Tax Bill amended the Customs and Excise Act (Cap. 42:01) to expand the definition of “duty” to include advance income tax, provide for customs-controlled export warehouses, properly manage tax stamps on excisable goods and clearly provide for methods of valuation of imported goods.
The Bill also contained other customs and excise measures such as the removal of taxes on importation of electric motor vehicles and electric motor vehicle charging systems. Importation of two motor vehicles every five years by a religious organisation and extension of the duty-free motor vehicles after five years currently being provided only to members of Parliament to other individual such as Judges, diplomats, senior government officers and returning residents.
In February this year, Chakwera also signed into law six Bills including the Protected Flag, Emblems and Names Act (Amendment) as part of decriminalising sedition-related offences.
The other five Bills were the Penal Code (Amendment), Electoral Commission Act (Amendment), Roads Authority as well as Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections and Fertiliser Bills.
