Minister of Tourism and Arts Dr. Charles Banda has said the Tourism Levy is not there to finance the private sector.
Speaking when the Tourism Council of Zambia (TCZ) paid a courtesy call on him the Minister says there is no private sector paying the tourism levy but that the clients are paying for utilizing the hospitality services.
Dr. Banda said some people have come to his office saying the private sector is contributing to Tourism Development Fund (TDF).
He said private sector participation means the private players bring their money to the table to be able to participate in the development of the industry.
The Minister said the money raised through the levy has specific areas to cure including research, product development and marketing.
And newly appointed TCZ Chairperson Vincent Mupwaya said the council has pending issues including the service charge and TDF.
He said the council has noted with concern that once Tourism Levy is collected, it is taken straight to Control 99.
The chairperson said members are worried and requested that the Minister could engage with his colleague at Ministry of Finance and see if it could to be catered for separately to assist the private sector with their projects.
He requested the Minister to reconsider attending the council’s quarterly breakfast meetings that touch all the subsectors of the sector where problems are shared and find the solutions to them.

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