World Editors Write to Mugabe Over Tax on Foreign Publications

The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and the World Editors Forum (WEF) have written to Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe asking him to rescind a decision to slap import duty on foreign publications, APA learned on Thursday.

All foreign publications are now classed as luxury goods, attracting an import duty of 40 percent. The tax appears to be particularly aimed at South African-based news sources, which have been critical to the regime but are extremely important to Zimbabwe’s readers.

The Zimbabwean, a twice-weekly newspaper printed in South Africa for distribution in Zimbabwe, has been forced to pay almost US$20,000 per week and is reducing its circulation from 200,000 copies to 60,000 as a result.

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority refused to release a consignment of 60,000 copies of the June 19 issue of The Zimbabwean. This followed the burning of 60,000 copies of The Zimbabwean on May 25.

“We respectfully call on you to remove the luxury tax on foreign publications and to end state intimidation of the independent media. We urge you to take all necessary steps to ensure that in the future your country fully respects international standards of freedom of information,” said WAN president Gavin O’Reilly and WEF president Xavier Vidal-Folch in a letter.

The letter cited Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media, regardless of frontiers”.

WAN and WEF represent more than 18,000 publications in 102 countries worldwide.

Source African Press Agency

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