Zimbabwe
Zimbabweans asked to boycott tax payments

afrol News, 24 March - A new form of mass action against the Mugabe regime is emerging in Zimbabwe. While civil servants working at Harare tax offices are "losing" receipts, businesses are urged to stop paying taxes.

- We must starve the government of funds, like [the ruling party] ZANU-PF is doing to millions of Zimbabweans, the underground protest movement Zvakwana (enough is enough) tells its followers.

The protest movement has received notice from civil servants working at tax offices, saying the majority of these employees are supporting action against the government of President Robert Mugabe.

One civil servant, calling himself "Brian" and working at the tax office on Fourth Street in Harare, had informed the Zvakwana movement about his colleagues' cooperation with the protesters.

- There are certain actions that our supporters in these civil departments will undertake, Zvakwana informs. "Brian says that cheques settling Sales Tax and PAYE will be getting lost," thus giving Zimbabwean an excuse not to pay their taxes.

A powerful collective action is the non-payment of any account where the final destination is the government, Zvakwana this weekend told its thousands of followers and its street and community leaders. "Stop paying taxes and levies! Join the movement."

The Zvakwana movement was recently established as an underground network to strike peacefully against the Mugabe regime by organising mass action, something the official opposition is barred from. The movement has been engaged in several successful campaigns lately, such as the Harare "make noise for change" action.

Only on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, Zvakwana joined the organisation of a successful stayaway, joined by "thousands and thousands of Zimbabweans confronting their fear." Even a very big number of businesses shut their doors in support of the stayaway, which seems to be attracting more people each time it is organised.

The protesters hope to achieve an equal success with the tax boycott, which could severely undermine the Mugabe regime's ability of clinging to power. Citizens were urged to stop financing the government "so that, among other things, they run out of money to pay Green Bombers to attack, murder and rape us."

 

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