The chairman of the board of directors of the Roads Fund, Ângelo Macuácua, recently defended the revision of the fuel tax, which has been stagnant for 15 years, as a crucial measure to ensure the necessary funding for road maintenance and rehabilitation, according to the Carta de Moçambique portal.
According to information provided by Ângelo Macuácua, the current sources of revenue, although varied, are not enough to cover the sector’s needs. During the first conference on Public-Private Partnerships, the president of the fund revealed that the average annual investment in the road sector over the last four years has been 15 billion meticals (237 million dollars), which corresponds to only 40 per cent of the necessary funding.
“The proposal to increase fuel taxes aims to adjust the values to reflect the increase in the cost of living since 2009, when the tax was established,” he said.
According to Ângelo Macuácua, Mozambique currently has one of the lowest fuel taxes in the southern African region, which limits the capacity to invest in road infrastructure. In addition, the Road Fund considers road concessions to be another viable solution to guarantee the construction and maintenance of roads, highlighting the urgent need for funding for the surfacing and rehabilitation of primary and secondary roads.
Ângelo Macuácua also emphasised that the Road Fund needs funding for the surfacing of primary and secondary roads and for the rehabilitation of roads that are beyond their useful life.
