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Daily Archives: June 19, 2012

G20 Summit News: SA commits USD2bn of foreign reserves to IMF‏

19 Jun

SA’s National Treasury says the $2bn it has committed to the International  Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s) more than $430bn firewall fund will be in the  form of its foreign reserves‚ and will be drawn down only if needed and  only after other resources have been depleted.

South African leaders attending the Group of 20 summit in Los Cabos‚ Mexico‚ announced the commitment on Monday.
The Treasury said the funds would be invested and earn interest‚ and would be drawn down only in emergency circumstances.
“If the funds are drawn down‚ they will ultimately be repaid and they will  continue to earn interest over this period‚” Treasury spokesman Jabulani Sikhakhane said.
The multibillion-dollar fund has been set aside  in efforts to increase IMF resources in order for the institution to  better assist countries distressed by the current global economic  conditions‚ made worse by the deterioration of economies in the  eurozone.
The resources will be channelled through temporary  bilateral loans and note purchase agreements to the IMF’s general  resources account.
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Posted by on June 19, 2012 in International News

 

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Easy Jet To Launch a low-Cost Airline in Africa – Tanzania included

19 Jun

                                                    Photo by: www.airliners.net

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of EasyJet, is set to launch a low-cost airline in Africa this year after taking a 5% stake in a new venture.

The easyGroup tycoon, who is embroiled in a long-running boardroom battle with easyJet, is backing a carrier that will operate under his Fastjet airline and be run by former easyJet executives.

Fastjet will operate from Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and Angola. The ambition is to carry more than 12 million passengers a year, from the 500,000 at present, by cashing in on demand for regional travel from a burgeoning African middle-class.
EasyJet remained tight-lipped about the move, referring queries to a statement made last year that said the Luton-based airline would take “necessary action” if Fastjet infringed its rights.

However, Ed Winter, Fastjet’s chief executive-in-waiting and formerly easyJet’s chief operating officer, said the airline would avoid antagonising its European peer. “We have been 100% careful. We are absolutely aware of the agreement, and so is Stelios, and we are not infringing it in any way,” he said.

Under the terms of Wednesday’s announcement, an Aim-listed cash shell company called Rubicon has bought the aviation arm of Lonrho, an ancestor of the pan-African conglomerate formerly run by Tiny Rowland, in a deal worth $85.7m (£55m).
As part of the deal, Easy Group will own 5% of Rubicon, and the airline will use Lonrho Aviation’s network. It will operate from the Lonrho hubs in the four African countries. Operating as Fly 540, Winter said a 12-million passenger target was feasible.

“If you take the four countries, they have a total population of 100 million people. If you estimate that all our customers come from just those countries alone, you could see three million of them becoming customers with us, flying a couple of times a year. That would generate something like 12.8 million passengers [annually].”

Winter said Fastjet would launch towards the end of the summer but not use its fleet of 10 turboprops and small jets. Instead it would seek to lease larger modern jets like the Boeing 737 or Airbus A319.

 

The Guardian newspaper, London

 

 
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Posted by on June 19, 2012 in International News

 

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G20 NATIONS SET TO BOOST IMF FIREWALL

19 Jun

Mexico:

G20 nations set to boost IMF firewall

Barack Obama, the US president, arrives at Los Cabos for the G20 summit.

The G20 meeting is expected to call on nations to increase contributions to the International Monetary Fund. The UK has previously pledged £10bn.
Mexico’s president Felipe Calderon, who is hosting the G20 summit which starts today in Los Cabos, said:
“I estimate that there will be a larger capitalisation than the pre–accord reached in Washington, which will be finalised here, but I don’t want to speculate by how much.
“I hope there’s a very important agreement about the IMF.”
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and François Hollande, the French president, have delayed their arrival at the summit to await the full result of the elections in Greece, amid fears that the vote could lead to a Greek exit from the euro.
The two leaders are deeply divided over demands from other governments, the IMF and investors to agree a timetable for the pooling of debts via eurobonds alongside the fiscal and banking union that most now believe is required to preserve the euro.
The rising tide of fear was underlined by Robert Zoellick, the outgoing president of the World Bank.
“Europe may be able to muddle through but the risk is rising,” he said yesterday. “There could be a Lehman moment if things are not properly handled.”
Meanwhile, the BRICS bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are expected to pledge tens of billions of dollars in new loans to the IMF bailout fund at a meeting before the opening of the G20 summit.
China’s Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao predicted the group would pledge at least $60bn and thus boost the firewall up to the International Monetary Fund’s target of $430bn.
“China is confident that the IMF will realize its $430bn and China will pitch in,” Mr Zhu told reporters as national delegations began to arrive at the luxury hotels lining the Los Cabos coastline.
Mr Zhu said the BRICS and other emerging powers had pledged at the previous G20 summit to come up with the funds, adding: “And so during this Los Cabos summit a specific amount will be announced.”
The IMF fund will serve to backstop governments that are struggling to cope with debt repayments, but eurozone leaders will still face pressure from their G20 peers to make reforms to head off future financial crises.
The head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Europe had the resources to deal with the crisis but must “take down the scaffolding” around EU institutions such as the European Central Bank.
“The ECB can help stabilize the bond market and the ECB really is the bazooka,” Angel Gurria said, noting that the bank had already effectively provided a trillion euros over a month to cope with the crisis.
“The problem is if you go into your championship bout with one hand tied behind your back, you have a pretty fair shot at losing,” he warned.
“Europeans have to display the awesome firepower that is at their disposal, and they have to transmit the message that they’re willing to use the awesome firepower,” he said.

 

 

 

 
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Posted by on June 19, 2012 in International News

 

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UK pledges $15bn to IMF’s new $456bn crisis fund‏

19 Jun

The UK has pledged a further $15bn to the IMF, after Christine Lagarde   revealed that member states had promised a total of $456bn for its new   crisis fund.

World Bank/International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington, DC

IMF Chief, Christine Lagarde

China will contribute $43bn, state news agency Xinhua confirmed on Tuesday   morning.

“With today’s announcements by an additional 12 countries, a total of 37   IMF member countries… have joined this collective effort, demonstrating   the broad commitment of the membership to ensure the IMF has access to   adequate resources to carry out its mandate in the interests of global   financial stability,” Ms Lagarde, the IMF chief, said.
“Countries large and small have rallied to our call for action, and more   may join. I salute them and their commitment to multilateralism. As a   result, total pledges have risen to $456bn, almost doubling our lending   capacity.”
The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, meeting before a   Group of 20 summit in Mexico, said they “agreed to enhance their own   contributions to the IMF”.
The announcement brought an end to the mystery of how much the powerful BRICS   countries would provide.

They held back two months ago when the IMF solicited commitments at its spring   meetings in Washington and only gathered a firm $340bn.
That was well below the $500bn the Fund’s own economists had said would be an   adequate expansion of its crisis intervention funding, given the potential   of more contagion in the troubled eurozone.
The largest economy, the US, is not contributing, despite its huge voting   power on the IMF board.
While Washington has insisted Europe has enough resources to resolve its   problems itself, it is also clear that the deeply divided Congress is in no   mood, given the US economic problems, to contribute rescue funds for others.

 
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Posted by on June 19, 2012 in International News

 

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G20′s Family Feud to See Summit Fall Flat‏

19 Jun

Photo by: Wikipedia

JUST like every other family, the G20 has its tiffs.

But, as any Sopranos fan will tell you, some families are more  powerful than others.
The global summit – being held in the beachside resort city of  Los Cabos – is under intense pressure to drive action on the debt  crisis in Europe and the United States.
But as the first day of the two-day summit drew to an end,  leaders and officials were talking down the prospect  of anything  more than a statement on future directions or a “roadmap”.
What appears likely is a “Los Cabos Action Plan”, similar to  that issued  after the Cannes summit in 2011, in which individual  countries made  broad commitments to tackle issues.
There’s a sharp divide between the Europeans, the British, the  Americans and the rest.
British PM David Cameron is holding little back in his criticism  of the eurozone governments, raising fears of the region slipping  into  “perpetual stagnation or break up”.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard  has been a little more cautious but  still urging eurozone nations to  cut their deficits and do what  they can to stimulate growth and jobs -  not an easy balancing act  especially for countries like Greece.
China, India and Indonesia are frustrated that some of their  biggest export markets can’t get it together.
US President Barack Obama stated the obvious when he said the  world was  “very concerned” about the slowing of growth and now was  the time to  stabilise the world financial system.
The attacks are starting to bite, but may not necessarily lead  to action.
German chancellor Angela Merkel, Italy’s Mario Monti and  European Commission  chief Jose Manuel Barroso were on the defensive  as they entered the  summit.
Dr Merkel pointed the finger at Greece, as it negotiated a new  coalition government after Sunday’s elections, saying there would  be no “loosening” of the commitments to economic reform.
Mr  Barroso was blunt about the criticism: “Frankly, we are not  coming here to receive lessons in terms of democracy or in terms of  how to handle  the economy.” Mr Monti argued the EU was not the “only source of the problem”.
“The crisis had its origins in imbalances in other countries,  including the US,” he said.
What looks more certain in terms of a eurozone solution are some  fine words followed by a deferral to coming talks between European  leaders and  finance ministers. Trade issues, which are also a key part of the regular summits,  are also being talked down.
While US President Barack Obama attempted to inject some  confidence into  this policy area by inviting Mexico to join the  Trans-Pacific  Partnership agreement talks – which could lead to one  of the world’s  biggest free trade zones being formed – Cameron was  gloomy about the  rise of protectionism.
He said that since the previous G20 member  nations had put in  place 124 new trade restrictions and no progress has been made on  the Doha trade round.
As expectations of the G20  fall, national leaders could find  themselves looking to other forums,  regional groups and bilateral  deals for better ways to progress jobs  and growth. The Group of 20 accounts for more than 80 per cent of world   trade and production and two-thirds of the world population.
 
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Posted by on June 19, 2012 in International News

 

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Kutoka Bungeni : Zitto on Government Budget

19 Jun

MFblog Inaendelea kuleta matukio yanayoendelea Mjini Dodoma katika kipindi hiki cha kikao cha Bunge cha bajeti. “ALL EYES ON DODOMA-BUNGENI”

Mh. Zitto Kabwe

Mh. Zitto Kabwe

WAZIRI Kivuli wa Fedha Kabwe Zitto amewasilisha bungeni bajeti mbadala ya Kambi ya Upinzani kwa mwaka wa fedha 2012/2013.
Zitto amebainisha kasoro nyingi zilizopo katika bajeti ya Serikali iliyowasilishwa bungeni Alhamisi iliyopita.
Bajeti ya Zitto ilitanguliwa na hotuba ya Msemaji  Mkuu wa Kambi ya Upinzani kuhusu Ofisi ya Rais – Mipango, Christina  Mughwai ambaye pia alibainisha alichokiita udhaifu wa Serikali  katika kuitekeleza mipango yake ya kiuchumi.
Zitto ambaye pia ni Naibu Kiongozi wa Upinzani Bungeni katika hotuba yake  alisema mapato ya Serikali yanaweza kuongezwa kwa Sh2.885 trilioni,  hivyo kupunguza utegemezi wa mikopo ya kibiashara ambayo imekuwa  ikiligharimu taifa kiasi kikubwa cha fedha. Vyanzo vya kodi na  kiasi cha fedha kwenye mabano alivyopendekeza ni marekebisho ya kodi za  misitu ukiwemo mkaa (Sh130.8 bilioni), kupunguza misamaha ya kodi,  kuzuia ukwepaji kodi na udanganyifu wa biashara ya nje (Sh742.74  bilioni), mauzo ya hisa za Serikali (Sh415.55 bilioni), Marekebisho ya  kodi Sekta ya Madini na asilimia 25 ya Mauzo ya Madini Nje (Sh578.36  bilioni) na Marekebisho ya Kodi na Usimamizi bora wa Mapato Kampuni za  Simu (Sh502.26 bilioni).

Mapendekezo mengine ni Marekebisho ya  Kodi ya Tozo ya Kuendeleza Stadi (Sh243.52 bilioni), mapato ya  wanyamapori (Sh61.64 bilioni), kuondoa msamaha wa ushuru wa mafuta kwa  kampuni za madini (Sh44.9 bilioni), Usimamizi wa mapato ya utalii  (Sh51.75 bilioni), Kuimarisha biashara Afrika Mashariki (Sh 114.15  bilioni).

Zitto alisema kama wapinzani wangekuwa madarakani  wangekusanya kiasi cha Sh15 bilioni sawa na ile ya Serikali, lakini  tofauti ni hatua ya kutenga asilimia 35 ya mapato ya ndani kwa ajili ya  utekelezaji wa miradi ya maendeleo na kupunguza utegemezi wa bajeti  kutoka asilimia 42.37 za Serikali hadi asilimia 21.3.

 

Amesema, Serikali haipaswi kuendelea kukopa, kwani taarifa rasmi za kibenki na  ukaguzi wa hesabu zinaonyesha kwamba deni hilo linakua kwa kasi tofauti  na maelezo ya Serikali kwamba linahimilika.

“Taarifa ya Mdhibiti na Mkaguzi Mkuu wa Hesabu za Serikali inaonyesha kuwa Deni la Taifa  linazidi kuongezeka kwa asilimia 38 kutoka Sh10.5 trilioni mwaka  2009/2010 hadi Sh14.4 trilioni 2010/2011. Kwa mujibu wa Waziri wa Fedha, Deni la Taifa limefikia Sh20.3 trilioni mpaka ilipofika mwezi Machi  mwaka 2012,”

alisema Zitto na kuongeza:       “Ukisoma taarifa ya Mwezi wa Mei 2012 ya Benki Kuu ya Tanzania, Deni la Taifa sasa limefikia Sh22 trillion. Suala hapa sio ustahmilivu wa Deni kama inavyodai Serikali,  bali ni kwamba tunakopa kufanyia nini?”

Alisema hesabu za bajeti ya Serikali ya 2012/13 inayopendekezwa zinaonyesha kwamba Serikali bado ina mpango wa kukopa kwa ajili ya kugharamia matumizi ya kawaida ambayo hayazalishi wala kutozwa kodi. “Hatutaki mikopo kwa ajili ya  matumizi ya kawaida ya posho, kusafiri, magari n.k. Tuchukue mikopo  kuwekeza kwenye miradi itakayokuza uchumi na kuzalisha kodi zaidi,”  alisema.

Kuhusu mfumuko wa bei, Zitto alikosoa hatua  zinazopendekezwa na Serikali kukabiliana nao, kwamba ni zile  zilizoshindwa katika mwaka wa fedha unaoishia Juni 30, mwaka huu. Alisema hatua hizo ambazo ni kutoa vibali kwa wafanyabiashara vya kuagiza  mchele na sukari bila kutoza kodi, haziwezi kusaidia kwa kuwa hatua kama hizo zilipochukuliwa awali zilisababisha bei ya bidhaa hizo kuongezeka. “Baada ya hatua hii bei ya sukari ilipanda kutoka Sh1,700 mpaka 2,800 kwenye  maeneo mengi nchini… Serikali inachukua hatua zile zile kwa tatizo lile  lile ikitegemea matokeo tofauti,” alisema Zitto.

Alirejea  pendekezo la mwaka jana kwa Serikali kutoa vivutio kwa wakulima wadogo  kuzalisha chakula kwa wingi akisema kuwa hatua hiyo pekee ndiyo  itapunguza mfumuko wa bei. “Hakuna mbadala wa kudhibiti mfumuko  wa bei zaidi ya kuongeza uzalishaji wa chakula na kuwekeza kwa wananchi  wetu.

Serikali inafikiria uzalishaji utaongezeka kwa kusaidia wakulima  wakubwa ambao watageuza wananchi wetu kuwa manamba na vibarua ndani ya  nchi yao,” alisema na kuongeza: “Tuwekeze kwa watu wetu vijijini ili waongeze uzalishaji na kwa kufanya hivyo mfumuko wa bei ya chakula  utakuwa historia. Hakuna mwarobaini wa kupanda kwa bei za vyakula  isipokuwa kilimo”.

MF: Well done Zitto; Tunaendelea Kufuatilia yanayoendelea Dodoma kwa Ukaribu.

 

 
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Posted by on June 19, 2012 in Tanzania News

 

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Kutoka Bungeni: Misamaha ya Kodi Kupunguzwa

19 Jun

Dodoma, Tanzania

 

WIZARA ya Fedha imesema, Serikali ina lengo la kupunguza misamaha ya kodi ili isizidi asilimia moja ya pato la taifa.

Naibu wa Fedha Ms.Saada Mkuya,Mb.

Naibu wa Fedha Ms.Saada Mkuya,Mb.

 

Naibu Waziri wa Fedha, Saada Mkuya Salum ameliambia Bunge mjini Dodoma kuwa, Serikali inaendelea kupitia baadhi ya sheria za misamaha ya kodi ili kuangalia kama bado zina manufaa kwa umma.

 

Amesema, ili kutimiza azma hiyo, Mamlaka ya Mapato (TRA) kupitia mfuko wa dhamana wa ushauri wa sera na usimamizi wa kodi ulioanzishwa na Shirika la Fedha la Kimataifa (IMF) inafanya uchambuzi wa kina wa kuangalia sheria na kanuni za misamaha ya kodi.

 

Kwa mujibu wa kiongozi huyo wa Serikali, uchambuzi huo utaleta mapendekezo ya kuiondoa misamaha yote isiyo na maslahi na tija kwa taifa.

 

Salum amesema, mwaka ujao wa fedha, Serikali imechukua hatua za kurekebisha sheria mbalimbali za kodi kwa nia ya kupunguza misamaha na kuzuia mianya ya ukwepaji kodi.

 

Alikuwa akijibu swali la Mbunge wa Viti Maalumu Amina Abdulla Amour (CUF) aliyetaka kufahamu ni lini Serikali itapunguza misamaha yakodi hadi kufikia chini ya asilimia moja ya pato la taifa kutokana na kuwa kero kwa muda mrefu kwa taifa kukosa fedha na mapato kwa ajili ya maendeleo.

 

“Sisi pale wizarani tumeamua kulivalia njuga suala hili, tutaifanya kazi hiyo na tunaomba tupewe muda kwani jambo hili haliwezi kufanyika kwa mara moja,” alisema.

 

Wakati huo huo, Salum alisema Benki ya Wanawake inaweza kushiriki katika mpango wa kukopesha na kusimamia fedha za mabilioni ya Rais endapo inahitaji kufanya hivyo na taasisi zingine za fedha ambazo zimekidhi vigezo vilivyowekwa.

 

Alitaja vigezo hivyo kuwa ni pamoja na uwezo wa kuhudumia vijijini, kuwa na mizani nzuri za hesabu na uzoefu katika kuhudumia wajasiriamali wadogo.

 

Alisisitiza kuwa walengwa wa mfuko wa mabilioni ya Rais ni vijana, wazee, wanawake vijijini na mijini ambao wanafanya shughuli katika kuhudumia wajasiriamali wadogo.

 

Alikuwa akijibu swali la Mbunge wa Viti Maalumu Faida Mohamed Bakar (CUF) ambaye alihoji kama Serikali inakubaliana naye kwamba sasa ni wakati muafaka wa kuhamisha fedha za mkopo wa mabilioni ya Kikwete na kutumika katika Benki ya Wanawake ili wananchi wapate mikopo.

 

Wakati huohuo, Kamati ya Kudumu ya Bunge ya Fedha na Uchumi, imeafiki maeneo mengi ya kodi na tozo mbalimbali yaliyopendekezwa na Serikali kufanyiwa marekebisho, lakini ikasisitiza umuhimu wa nidhamu ya matumizi ya Serikali na uwezo wa kuongeza mapato.

 

Mbali na hayo, Kamati hiyo ilieleza kutoridhishwa na Serikali katika kasi ya kushughulikia misamaha ya kodi.

 

“Kamati inaishauri Serikali kuonesha dhamira ya kweli kufanikisha lengo hilo (la kuimarisha taratibu za kukusanya mapato pamoja na kupunguza misamaha ya kodi) na kutoa taarifa ya utekelezaji mbele ya Kamati Januari 2013,” amesema Mwenyekiti wa Kamati hiyo, Andrew Chenge.

 

Chenge alikuwa anawasilisha taarifa ya Kamati yake kuhusu hali ya uchumi wa Taifa kwa mwaka 2011 na Mpango wa Maendeleo wa Taifa kwa mwaka 2012/13 pamoja na tathimini ya utekelezaji wa Bajeti ya Serikali kwa mwaka 2011/12 na mapendekezo ya mapato na matumizi ya Serikali kwa 2012/13.

 

“Kamati inaendelea kushauri kwamba Serikali iachane na mtindo wa kuibua matumizi mapya yasiyo ya dharura ambayo hayakuidhinishwa na Bunge wakati wa utekelezaji wa bajeti”

 

“Mtindo huo unavuruga bajeti na kupunguza uwezo wa kutoa fedha za matumizi mengineyo (OC) na matumizi ya maendeleo kama ilivyokusudiwa. Kamati inasisitiza umuhimu wa Serikali kubana matumizi kwa kupunguza matumizi yasiyo ya lazima,” amesema Chenge.

 
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Posted by on June 19, 2012 in Tanzania News

 

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Tanzania: Gesi Yagundulika Lindi

19 Jun

Dodoma, Tanzania

WAKATI Serikali ikithibitisha kugundulika gesi yenye futi trilioni tatu za ujazo Mashariki mwa Lindi, imesema katika miaka mitatu ijayo, itatumia gesi kuzalisha umeme, kutumika majumbani na kuuzwa nje ya nchi.

“Kwa kweli tuna gesi ya kutosha sana … mipango ya Serikali ni kwamba katika miaka mitatu ijayo, tutazalisha gesi kwa ajili ya umeme, majumbani na viwanda vya mbolea,” alisema Waziri wa Nishati na Madini, Profesa Sospeter Muhongo, wakati akizungumza na waandishi wa habari ofisini kwake mjini Dodoma kuhusu ugunduzi wa gesi asilia nchini wiki hii.

“Napenda sasa kuutangazia umma kuwa Juni 13, 2012, Kampuni ya Statoil ya Norway kwa kushirikiana na ya Exxon Mobil ya Marekani, ziligundua na kuthibitisha kuwapo kwa gesi yenye ujazo wa futi za ujazo trilioni tatu katika kisima cha Lavani kitalu namba mbili Mashariki mwa Lindi,” alisema Profesa Muhongo.

Amesema, hadi sasa gesi asilia iliyogundulika kwenye maji ya kina kirefu ni futi trilioni 20.97 za ujazo, huku Tanzania ikiwa imejaaliwa kuwa na gesi ya kutosha.
Imesisitiza kuendelea kutoa msukumo zaidi kwa ajili ya kampuni za utafutaji mafuta na gesi asilia ili ziendelee kufanya utafiti na ugunduzi zaidi wa gesi asilia na mafuta kwa ajili ya maendeleo ya nchi.

“Aidha, kisima kilichochimbwa Songo Songo Kisiwani na kukamilika Mei 2012 kimebainika kuwa na uwezo wa kuzalisha futi za ujazo milioni 60 kwa siku. Hii ni hazina mpya nchini,” aliongeza Waziri wa Nishati na Madini na kusema kuwa, gharama za kisima kimoja ni kati ya dola milioni 100 na 150 za Marekani (kati ya Sh bilioni 160 na Sh bilioni 240).

Alisema katika miaka mitatu iliyopita, kumekuwa na kasi kubwa ya utafutaji mafuta na gesi nchini, ambao umejikita zaidi kwenye bahari ya Hindi kwenye maji ya kina kirefu.

Alisema kuna kampuni kubwa duniani za utafutaji mafuta na gesi asilia nchini na hadi Juni 14, zipo kampuni 19 mbali na Antrim ambayo ina leseni Zanzibar ambako shughuli za utafiti hazifanyiki.

Alizitaja kampuni hizo kuwa ni Petrobas ya Brazil, British Gas, Aminex, Ophir, Dominion, Wentworth Resources, Afren Rescources Petrodel (Uingereza), Exxon Mobil na Shell (Uholanzi), Statoil (Norway) na Maurel & Prom (Ufaransa).

Nyingine ni Heritage (Ireland), Jacka Rescources, Otto Energy, Swala Oil & Gas, Beach Petroleum (Australia), Motherland (India) na Hydrotanz (Mauritius).
Profesa Muhongo alisema kampuni hizo zinafanya kazi kwa upekee au kuungana na nyingine kwenye sehemu mbalimbali za leseni na utafiti na ambao unakwenda kasi kubwa ni wa kwenye bahari ya kina kirefu.

Alisema hivi sasa kuna mitambo mitano ya kuchimba visima vya utafiti wa mafuta na gesi, ambapo miwili inafanya kazi kwenye bahari ya kina kirefu na mitatu nchi kavu.
“Utafiti wa nchi kavu nao unaendelea vizuri ukijumuisha mitambo mitatu ambayo iko  nchini ikichimba visima. Vitatu vimekamilika. Viwili vikiwa vimegundua gesi Songo Songo na Magharibi mwa Mtwara.

“Kisima kimoja kilichochimbwa Mnazi Bay hakikuwa na gesi ya kutosha. Kisima kilichokamilika Mei 2012 Songo Songo kina uwezo wa kuzalisha meta za ujazo milioni 60,” alisema Profesa Muhongo.

Alisema Wizara ya Nishati na Madini iko katika hatua za mwisho kukamilisha maandalizi ya Sera, Sheria na Mpango kabambe wa matumizi ya gesi asilia nchini.

Posted by MJ

 
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Posted by on June 19, 2012 in Tanzania News

 

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Tanzania: Sekta binafsi walia na TRA

19 Jun

Dodoma, Tanzania.

 
TAASISI ya Sekta binafsi nchini (TPSF) imesema, uwezo mdogo wa kukusanya kodi wa Mamlaka ya Mapato nchini (TRA) unasababisha bajeti kuegemea kuongeza kodi kwenye bidhaa za vinywaji ambavyo vinaaminika kuwa ni chanzo cha mapato yao.
 
Pia taasisi hiyo imeshauri Serikali ianzishe utaratibu wa kuajiri kwa mikataba ya miaka mitatu tu ili kuweza kuwa na nidhamu katika utendaji kazi na matumizi ya fedha za umma pia.
 
Hayo yamesemwa na Mkurugenzi Mkuu wa  TPSF, Godfyey Simbeye wakati akizungumza na waandishi wa habari mjini hapa juu ya kauli ya taasisi hiyo baada ya Waziri wa Fedha, Dk William Mgimwa kuwasilisha bajeti ya Serikali jana.
 
Alisema, hii inaonesha dhahiri kuwa TRA haina orodha kamili ya walipa kodi  ambao hali ambayo kwa kiasi kikubwa ndiko kiasi kikubwa cha mapato kinakopotea na hivyo kujikuta wakilazimika kukandamiza kodi kubwa katika vinywaji.
 
Alisema kuwa, uamuzi huu wa kuongeza bajeti katika vinywaji haujafanyika katika bajeti hii ya 2012/2013 bali inafanyika karibu bajeti zote katika kila mwaka.
 
“Wenzetu wa nchi ya Kenya, katika bajeti yao ya mwaka jana hawakugusa kabisa kupandisha kodi katika vinywaji, inaonesha wanakusanya kodi yao katika maeneo mengine,” alisema Mkurugenzi huyo.
 
Aidha aliongeza kuwa, ni jambo la kushangaza pale ambapo Wabunge walishangilia baada ya kusikia Waziri wa Fedha na Uchumi, alipotangaza kuongeza kodi katika sigara na bia kwa asilimia 25 ili kuweza kuwadhibiti walevi.
 
Alisema kuwa hivi sasa Tanzania ina watu milioni 45, lakini walipa kodi  ni watu 500 hali ambayo huchangia Serikali kushindwa kukusanya mapato stahiki na kuendelea kunyonya walipa kodi wadogo.
 
“Labda vitambulisho vya taifa vitasaidia nchi hii kuweza kukusanya kodi na kuacha kuangalia kwenye bia na soda,” alisema.
 
Pia alibainisha kuwa, kama sekta binafsi  haikupendekezwa na Serikali kutenga asilimia 70 kwenda kwenye matumizi ya kawaida huku asilimia 30 kwenda kwenye shughuli za maendeleo hali ambayo inaonesha kuwa hakutakuwa na ushindani kwenye biashara.
 
“Sekta binafsi inapendekeza angalau asilimia 65 ingetengwa kwa ajili ya matumizi ya kawaida na kwenye shughuli za maendeleo iwe asilimia 35 ili kwenda sambamba na soko la pamoja la Afrika Mashariki,” alisema.
 
 Alisema kuwa, bajeti haikueleza kama Mkaguzi na Mdhibiti Mkuu wa Hesabu za Serikali (CAG) atawezaje kuzuia matumizi mabaya ya fedha za umma.
 
Simbeye alisema kuwa, suala la kuvutia uwekezaji linasuasua kutokana na kutokuwa na benki ya ardhi kwani hakuna ardhi inayotengwa kwa ajili ya uwekezaji katika kilimo.
 
“Serikali ifikirie kuwa na benki ya ardhi na wangeanza na mikoa mitano kama majaribio, suala la ardhi lingetengewa bajeti hilo pia lingerahisisha hata ukusanyaji wa kodi,” alisema.
 
Pia alitaka leseni isiwe chanzo cha kukusanya mapato kwenye Halmashauri na kuangaliwa kwa mikakati ya kukuza viwanda ambayo bado haijawekwa vizuri.
 
Aidha alisema kuwa bajeti ya mwaka huu haiwezi kubadilisha maisha ya Mtanzania kwa kiwango kilichotarajiwa kwani haikuongelea suala la bei ya mafuta.

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Posted by on June 19, 2012 in Tanzania News

 

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SA Wine Tourism Best in the World

19 Jun

South Africa’s wine tourism has been rated the best-developed in the world by International Wine Review, one of the world’s most influential opinion formers on wine.

Wine tourism is growing fast worldwide and plays an especially important role in South Africa.

The country’s reputation for making high-quality wine is centuries old, but the world had largely forgotten it by the time apartheid ended some two decades ago.

But since then, the industry has rapidly modernised, and South African winemakers have reacquainted themselves with the rest of the wine-loving world – and vice versa.

Today, the best of South African wine is up there with the rest.

During their review, the publication’s editor Don Winkler and publisher Mike Potashnik visited the winelands in December 2011 to evaluate the country’s top premium and ultra-premium wines, and at the same time evaluated its wine tourism.

“While the country is located far from most foreign wine lovers, it offers huge rewards to those who visit its wine country,” they wrote in their latest report.

“Most wineries have excellent tasting facilities and many have superb restaurants with spectacular mountain vineyard views.”

Andre Morgenthal, spokesperson for the Cape Town and Cape Winelands chapter of the Great Wine Capitals (GWC), is excited over the revelation.

“That is high praise indeed, coming as it does on the back of the US Weather Channel recently placing the Cape winelands second after Andalucia in Spain on its annual list of the World’s Top Ten Wine Trails,” he said.

The attractions of the wine industry are seen as a major factor in the growth of Cape Town’s tourism industry.

“Wine tourism is a vital product offering as it helps improve the country’s competitiveness against destinations like Brazil, Australia, Kenya and Thailand,” said tourism minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk.

It is estimated that wine tourism now generates annual income in excess of R5-billion (US$590-million) while also being a major job creator. The total wine exports from South Africa stood at 350,564,774 litres in 2011, with Europe as its biggest buyer overall.

Van Schalkwyk said the wine tourism sector in South Africa will always have strong roots from which to grow even further in the international market.

“I believe wine tourism can contribute in a significant way and we look forward to continued constructive engagement with the industry,” he said.

Tanzania Government has put forward strategies to boost Tanzania’s locally produced Wine ‘Dodoma Wine’. The 2012/2013 budget attracts lower duties compared to imported. If this opportunity used wisely we can start our own wine tourism vilage in Dodoma.

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Posted by on June 19, 2012 in General Knowledge, International News

 

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Foreign Farms in Africa Bring Investment and Controversy

19 Jun

JOHANNESBURG

 Foreign farms are spreading across Africa to grow food and biofuels for global markets, bringing much-needed investments but also new troubles for a continent struggling to feed itself.

China, Malaysia, Singapore and Bangladesh are just some of the countries spending billions of dollars in what critics have dubbed a new “scramble for Africa”, a reference to Europe’s 19th century colonisation drive.

But Africa holds an estimated 60% of the world’s uncultivated, arable land, making the continent a critical component to international efforts to feed the planet’s growing population.
How to achieve global food security is one of the most contentious issues at the upcoming Rio Summit on the environment, where activists are expected to sound the alarm over “land grabs” in Africa.

Many of the deals are with private companies, from Asian states seeking to feed large, growing populations to Europeans looking to produce biofuels, and their arrival on the continent has sometimes provoked angry backlashes.

Bangladesh’s government explicitly encourages such schemes as a way to feed its 150 million people, as its own farmland falls to urban and industrial growth.
Bangladeshi companies have deals to grow rice in Uganda and Tanzania, but across the continent in Gambia, the government rejected a deal following an uproar over a foreign farm project in neighbouring Senegal.

Last year two people died in protests in Senegal over a 20,000-hectare (50,000-acre) biofuel scheme. The government in Dakar put the scheme on ice.

The most dramatic case so far has been South Korean conglomerate Daewoo’s $6-billion (4.7-billion euro) plan to grow corn and palm oil in Madagascar, on an area the size of Belgium.

Public outrage at the deal was one of the sparks to protests that toppled then-president Marc Ravalomanana in 2009. The deal was scrapped after the coup, which tipped the island into an ongoing crisis.

Conflicts with local residents, often caused by shady contracts, are one of the biggest problems caused by the large-scale deals. Some communities are resettled, others complain about competition for water.

“Recent land acquisitions in Cameroon all look shocking, due to their scale, their low cost (as little as 50 US cents a hectare a year), their length (of up to 99 years), and their secrecy,” said Samuel Nguiffo, of the Centre for Environment and Development.

In Liberia, such deals could cover up to half of the nation’s arable land, squeezing the land left for riverside communities to grow food, according to Columbia University’s Center for International Conflict Resolution.

Riots erupted over a 2009 deal with Malaysia’s Sime Darby to plant rubber and palm oil plantations, forcing President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in December to admit to “mistakes” in the $3 billion contract.

“I don’t know where I am going to make farm this year. The land my great parents left with me has been taken from me and given to Sime Darby,” said local farmer Fred Dassen, 61, on a recent radio report.

Activists argue that policymaking is tilted toward agro-industry, while Africa should support its own small farmers with better seeds or extension services.

African farm productivity is low, about one-quarter the global average, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Just 8.5% of arable land is cultivated, and only 5.4 percent irrigated.

Governments argue that big foreign investment can change that as companies improve infrastructure and train new farmers. New crops can also bring new industry: Liberia hopes its oil plantations will lead to a soap factory.

Gabon has attracted $4.5 billion (3.6 billion euros) in investments in rubber and palm oil by Singapore’s agro-food giant Olam.

The government says the company’s new rubber plantation and factory would create 6,000 direct jobs and 5,000 subsidiary jobs. The company will also build thousands of homes as well as schools and a health clinic.

Marc Ona, founder of the Brainforest pressure group, said the concern is more about the lack of oversight of the deals and the impact on the environment and society.

“Faced with the challenge of food security, the choice is often geared toward agro-industry, with decisions made in illegal circumstances, without judicial oversight,” he said.

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Posted by on June 19, 2012 in International News

 

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Facebook pay $10Million to Five Users for Putting Adverts in their Timeline

19 Jun
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook has agreed to dish out a whopping $10million to charity to settle a lawsuit that accused the site of violating users’ rights to control the use of their own names, photos and likenesses, according to court documents made public this weekend.

The lawsuit, brought by five Facebook members in California, alleged that the social networking site violated state law by publicizing users’ ‘likes’ of certain advertisers on its ‘sponsored stories’ feature without paying them or giving them a way to opt out, the documents said.

The blockbuster settlement could potentially allow millions of other Facebook users to pursue similar legal action.

A ‘sponsored story’ is an advertisement that appears on a user’s Facebook page and generally consists of another friend’s name, picture and an assertion that the person ‘likes’ the advertiser.

The lawsuit charges that Facebook’s terms of use ‘mislead its users into believing that they can prohibit the use of their name and profile picture in advertisements.’

 
The ads were started in early 2011. The settlement, which was reached last month but made public this weekend, puts a question mark over a major source of ad revenue for the company.

Facebook declined to comment on Saturday.

Boss: Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg had been quoted as saying that that a trusted referral from a Facebook friend was the ‘Holy Grail’ of advertising

The proposed class-action suit, filed in federal court in San Jose, California, could have included nearly one of every three Americans, with billions in damages – another potential black eye for a company that has struggled since its disastrous initial public offering last month.

In the lawsuit, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg was quoted as saying that a trusted referral was the ‘Holy Grail’ of advertising.

Facebook’s chief technology officer, Bret Taylor (pictured), is departing ‘sometime this summer’ to start his own company, in the first exit of a high-profile executive since the social networking company’s IPO on May 18.

Taylor said he will be starting up a new company with Kevin Gibbs, a senior Google engineer, according to his Facebook profile.

The news was first reported by AllThingsD.

Some investors had speculated that Facebook would have trouble holding onto key talent following its IPO, which created many millionaires among its ranks.

Facebook executive Mike Vernal will take over the platform division, one of Taylor’s key jobs.

Cory Ondrejka will take over mobile, a source familiar with the situation confirmed.

In addition, the lawsuit cited comments from Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, saying that the value of a ‘sponsored story’ advertisement was at least twice and up to three times the value of a standard Facebook.com ad without a friend endorsement.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh said the plaintiffs had shown economic injury could occur through Facebook’s use of their names, photographs and likenesses.

‘California has long recognized a right to protect one’s name and likeness against appropriation by others for their advantage,’ Koh wrote.

The settlement arrangement is known as a cy-pres settlement, meaning the settlement funds can go to charity. A judge still needs to approve the settlement.

The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California is Angel Fraley et al., individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated vs. Facebook Inc., 11-cv-1726.

Facebook shares closed at $30.01 on Friday, down 21 per cent since the company’s initial public offering last month.

Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against Facebook from disgruntled shareholders.

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Posted by on June 19, 2012 in Business News, International News

 

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