ELECTRIC vehicles are potentially a game changer for Zambia, especially at a time when the country is trying to reduce dependence on imported petroleum products, contain government fuel expenditure and participate more meaningfully in the global green economy. We applaud President Hakainde Hichilema who has directed government institutions to acquire only electric vehicles. The next policy question is therefore obvious: what consideration will you make to the import duty of these electric vehicles? One option now deserving serious examination is a temporary waiver of customs duty on fully electric vehicles. Government reduced customs duty on electric vehicles from 30 percent to 15 percent in the 2023 budget, and the 2026 budget removed customs duty on complete-knock-down components for local vehicle...
