City councils in rates collection campaign
Three of the country’s four city councils are targeting to collect over K3 billion in city rates in the 2024/25 fiscal year which started on April 1.
Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu have since notified the business community to register their businesses, renew licences and pay city rates or risk closure.
In an interview, Lilongwe City Council public relations officer Tamara Chafunya said they hope to collect K1.4 billion through the exercise.
She said: “We wish to remind the businesses operating their businesses within our boundaries that they should register and renew their businesses for the 2024/25 financial year at our offices effective 1 April.”
In a separate interview, Mzuzu City Council spokesperson McDonald Gondwe said they expect to collect at least K1 billion in city rates, adding that locally generated revenues, pegged at K2.5 billion, ensure the council’s smooth operations.
Meanwhile, Blantyre City Council acting director of commerce Benson Chirwa said the council will start closing business premises that will not settle their rates from May 1 2024.
He said about 30 percent of the city’s budget comes from business licences and city rates; hence, they take the exercise seriously to ensure smooth operations.
Recently, Minister of Local Government Unity and Culture Richard Chimwendo Banda challenged city councils to boost their domestic revenue collection to meet some of their social obligations like waste management, among others.
