After months of confusion and silence the Public Service Comission has finally issued a circular detailing how the duty free import scheme is going to work. As it turns out have to apply for approval before you begin importing your vehicle.
Dr Vincent Hungwe had this to say about the circular:
This circular is issued by the Public Service Commission, pursuant to the introduction of rebate of duty of motor vehicles imported by members of the civil service and service commissions. The rebate on motor vehicles has been afforded to members of the civil service and the service commissions as part of a raft of measures that have been introduced by the PSC to improve on non-monetary benefits. The members shall submit an application to the Head of Ministry requesting authority to import a vehicle under the scheme.
As you can probably tell from the contents of the circular here. Not every civil servant can import a vehicle duty-free. A criteria has to be met:
The head of Ministry should assess whether a member meets the following conditions before any recommendation letter is granted: that the member has served at least 10 years of continuous service in the Public Service or Service Commissions. Except in cases approved by the commission, must have a valid driver’s licence and in case of a member living with a disability a valid driver’s licence of a designated driver.
It probably does not matter anyway
It probably does not matter anyway. Most (probably all) civil servants not earning enough to buy a vehicle anyway. Vehicles have to be bought using foreign currency while civil servants earn RTGS dollars.
The interbank rate has consistantly failed to meet foreign currency demands. This is because is not a true free market rate and always lags behind the black market.
