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The government has provided details of how it intends to use the recently approved Covid-19 levy announced in the 2021 budget statement.
This comes at the end of a series of reports to the effect that the government has announced that the Covid-19 tax will be used to pay for the 2020 gifts of water and electricity.
However, a statement issued by the Finance Ministry on Friday, March 19, refuted the claim and outlined 7 key areas that the government intends to spend the funds accumulated by the tax.
According to the statement, the 2020 free water and electricity “should not be misinterpreted as meaning that the new 2021 taxes are a direct charge for those services.”
In providing details on the allocation of the fee, the statement noted that the funds from the fee will be used in the procurement, distribution and administration of the Covid-19 vaccines.
It will also be used for the establishment of 14 medical waste treatment facilities across the country for the safe disposal of medical waste and the completion of 33 major health projects approved for implementation, the ministry said.
The statement also added that the levy will be used in the construction of 100-bed district hospitals in 101 districts without hospitals and 7 regional hospitals for the new regions under the government’s 111 agenda.
He also stressed that the rate will also be used to hire more health professionals to fill the 111 district hospitals and to supplement the 100,000 health workers hired so far under the current administration.
