The private sector in the industrial area insists that there are barriers to the development of the industry, due to the proliferation of taxes and fees, O País reported this Friday, 24 November.
According to the newspaper, the complaint came to light during the Mozambique-EU Global Gateway Investment Forum, which took place in Maputo under the theme “Creating Business Opportunities”.
In the panel entitled “Industry and Manufacturing: optimising domestic, regional and global value chains”, one of the members, Hugo Gomes, manager of Cervejas de Moçambique (CDM), gave face to some of the critics of the tax system, and used the introduction of mandatory conformity assessment, which began this November, as an example of yet another door of pressure on the private sector operating in industry.
According to Hugo Gomes, this measure entails more costs for companies: “Fees and taxes are, to a large extent, part of the biggest challenges for industrial development.”
Another industrial player who joined in the criticism was Paulo Chibanga, manager of Enserve, for whom it is necessary to sensitise the competent authorities and investors to the challenges facing Mozambican industry.
Paulo Chibanga highlighted issues related to the pattern of industrialisation, intersectoral links, industrial expansion and the creation of a sustainable line of financing for industries, and emphasised the importance of significant investment in infrastructure to overcome these obstacles. “However, we insist that we can leverage Mozambican industry, as new financing models need to be reviewed. In addition to quality issues and labour certification, there is a need to review the legal framework and modernise it,” he stressed.
He also pointed to the need to improve the legal institutional framework and market environment, the type of industry and industrialisation model, technology and modernisation, and the financing of the industrial sector, with the aim of creating an environment conducive to the growth and sustainable development of industry in Mozambique.
The event brought together business leaders and government authorities from Mozambique and the European Union to discuss the development of industry and manufacturing in Mozambique, with a focus on optimising domestic, regional and global value chains.
