The government has approved a fresh set of business licence fee reductions spanning 13 sectors, marking another step in Zimbabwe’s drive to cut red tape and lower the cost of doing business.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube confirmed the changes following a Cabinet meeting, under what is known as the Mop-Up Review of Licences, Permits, Levies and Fees. The latest phase covers sectors that were not fully addressed in earlier reforms, including agriculture, education, transport, sport and the natural stone export subsector.
Ncube explained that the exercise is designed to complete the regulatory review by removing duplicated or overlapping licences, scrapping unnecessary levies and reducing fees that were considered unreasonably high for small and medium enterprises.
Among the key measures approved:
- Reduction of industrial hemp registration and application fees for agriculture and medicines authorities.
- Lower fees for agricultural medicinal cannabis research permits.
- Formalisation of tri-cycle registration and rider licensing.
- A 50% cut in the Sport and Recreation Commission’s 6% gate takings levy.
- A 50% reduction in the Zimbabwe Football Association match day revenue charge.
- Premier Soccer League levy reduced from 10% to 4% of net match day income.
- Local authorities venue hire levy reduced from 15% to 10% of gross attendance.
- Outdoor advertising by local authorities capped at US$2.50 per square metre.
- Abolition of cemetery entry fees.
However, some fees were left unchanged: school annual affiliation fees, ZIMSEC fees and examination fees remain at current levels, as do vehicle change of ownership fees. The government also plans to create a one-stop shop to make vehicle ownership transfers easier.
The reforms are part of a wider effort launched last year to overhaul Zimbabwe’s regulatory environment, cut licensing costs for SMEs and improve the country’s ranking on ease of doing business indices.
A detailed schedule of the reduced or abolished fees is expected to be published shortly.
