JOIN DRIVERN TAXI AS PARTNER DRIVER TODAY!
Government has disclosed that the new constitution draft bill will be published next week.
Minister of Justice Ngosa Simbyakula said the publication will include non-contentious issues.
Dr. Simbyakula, who is also Acting President and Acting Chief Government Spokesperson, revealed this to journalists at State House in Lusaka today when he gave an update of Cabinet resolutions.
Last week, Cabinet approved the introduction of the Referendum Amendment Bill of 2015 in Parliament to amend the Referendum Act of 1967 so as to bring it in conformity with the constitution on the eligibility criterion for voting in a national referendum.
Dr. Simbyakula said whereas the constitution requires 50 percent of all persons entitled to be registered as voters to vote in a referendum, the Referendum Act provides for persons registered as voters to vote in a referendum.
Meanwhile, Cabinet at its 11th meeting held at State House today approved the seventh National Development Plan for 2017 – 2021 because the current revised Sixth National Development Plan on which the development processes for government are based is coming to an end next year.
Dr. Simbyakula added that Cabinet also approved the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill 2015 which seeks to implement the proposed changes to the Mining Tax regime, the Mines and Minerals Development Bill of 2015 where mineral loyalty tax has been set at nine percent for open cast mining operations and six percent for underground mining operations.
The two Bills will be introduced in parliament during the next sitting.
Other pieces of legislation which Cabinet has approved are the Gold Trade (Repeal) Bill of 2015 which seeks to repeal the Gold Trade Act cap 396 in order to avoid duplicity to be dealt with in the revised Mines and Minerals Development Bill 2015.
Dr. Simbyakula further announced that other approved bills are the Local Authorities Superannuation Fund (Amendment) Bill 2015 and the National Pensions Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2015 that seek to increase the retirement age to 60 years and provide for early retirement at 55 and late retirement at 65 in line with government policy.
The two Bills will be introduced in parliament during the next sitting.
He also said Government has approved the signing of a Double Taxation Agreement between Zambia and Netherlands which seeks to prevent fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.
He said cabinet has also approved the revised Draft National Child Policy 2015 since the last review took place in 2006 and a number of issues have emerged that were negatively impacting on the welfare of children among them early and forced marriages, poverty, infant morbidity and mortality rate, juvenile delinquency as well as malnutrition.
And Dr. Simbyakula has announced the appointment of a seven member National Prosecutions Authority board to replace the previous board which was dissolved on 13th May, 2015.
