• Having Education levy will be more beneficial to Zambia than the TV tax.
• The proposed tax will heavily resource the education sector.
• Zambia is facing great difficulties in attaining most targets of SDG number 4.

National Action for Quality Education in Zambia (NAQEZ) has called on government to abolish TV Levy and introduce Education Levy, as Ministry of Finance is consulting on the estimates of revenue and expenditure for 2023.
NAQEZ Executive Director Aaron Chansa told Money FM News in a statement that having Education levy will be more beneficial to Zambia than the TV tax.
Mr. Chansa said it is the organization’s considered view that the proposed tax will heavily resource the education sector and in turn create the necessary base for the much needed economic take off.
“With more than 1.5 million desks needed in schools, more than 100,000 teachers wanted in schools, more than 150,000 houses needed for teachers ,more than 3 million Computers required for use in schools, inadequate funding to some schools, with critical shortages of classroom spaces ,the great need to improve conditions of service for teachers and the urgent need to adequately finance higher education ,the New Dawn Government will have to ” bite the bullet” and make this monumental, popular and futuristic decision,” Mr. Chansa said.
He noted that the education sector is not adequately funded because successive Governments have deliberately ignored the fact that no country has ever developed with poor quality of education.
Mr. Chansa further stated Zambia is facing great difficulties in attaining most targets of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 4 because the education sector gets less than 20% of the national budget, adding that the country is only remaining with eight years before facing the world to account for the Vision 2030.
“Zambia is struggling to sustainably develop because of the poor quality of education. The nation now has a golden opportunity to make the right decision through the 2023 National budget. We therefore, strongly appeal to the Republican President, Hakainde Hichilema and Minister of Finance, Situmbeko Musokotwane to seriously consider introducing Education Levy. This will be for the good of our Country,” he suggested.