By Flata Kavinga
The Redcliff Constituency Senior Citizens Association has appealed to the government to exempt senior citizens living in resettlement, peri-urban and rural areas from paying land and homestead taxes, saying many older people are struggling to meet the costs on limited incomes.
In an interview, the association’s welfare officer, Juliet Govati, said the organisation had raised the issue with the Zibagwe Rural District Council (ZRDC) and requested the local authority to engage the government on behalf of elderly residents.
Govati said many senior citizens relocate to rural areas after retirement but face financial challenges in paying land-related taxes.
“We appeal to the government to revisit the issue of land taxes for senior citizens in resettlement, peri-urban and rural areas. Many elderly people cannot afford to pay these taxes because they are living on limited incomes,” she said.
She said exempting senior citizens from land and homestead taxes would ease their financial burden and allow them to direct their limited resources towards essential needs.
According to Govati, the association believes the proposal would improve the welfare of older persons, many of whom continue to rely on small-scale farming and other subsistence activities after retirement.
She said the association had asked ZRDC to facilitate engagement with the government on the matter, expressing hope that the concerns of senior citizens would be considered in future policy discussions.
