Likoma District Council says it will not introduce new levies, but will instead strengthen the enforcement of existing ones to improve service delivery in the district.
Speaking in an interview on Monday, Likoma District Council director of finance Wilson Muziya said the move seeks to help the council meet its core mandate of providing essential social services to the community as stipulated in the Local Government Act.
He said : “The law empowers us to levy fees on businesses and markets within our jurisdiction.
“However, our major challenge has been a narrow revenue ba se and the unwillingness of some sectors of the economy to comply.”
Muziya said the enforcement of existing levies will help generate much-needed revenue to support key services such as provision of hygiene and sanitary facilities, installation of security lights and construction of shelters within fishing grounds.
He said the council has started collecting levies at Mbamba Bay from boat operators from Mozambique, adding that the response so far has been overwhelming.
Mzuzu – based businessperson Mathias Kazembe urged the council to use part of the revenue to construct toilets and bathrooms along the lakeshore to maintain hygiene.
He said: “We use the toilets at Jalo Market which is far. We pay K300 each time we use the toilets and in case you are having diarrhoea, you spend more than K3 000 per day.
“When children want to help themselves, their mothers just dig a hole on the beach. We are not safe, especially during the rainy season
