The parliamentary cluster committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources has pressed Treasury officials to explain how collections on carbon tax levy were spent.

The carbon tax, which was introduced last year, collected K1.2 billion, according to figures from the Directorate of Roads Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS). Upon its introduction, the tax was announced to be collected for revenue for climate change interventions, but it seems that the Treasury used it for other unmentioned purposes. The Natural Resources Committee chairperson Werani Chilenga therefore called for an apology, knowing that the resources were not spent on the intended purpose.

Last week, the Ministry of Finance called on the media to unceasingly track the national budget to ensure that money approved in Parliament is used for the intended purpose. During a media training on national budget reporting organised by the Parliament, the ministry’s assistant budget director Precious Chimbamba explained that the parliamentary budget deliberations are just a beginning process of the budget, so the media must track the budget to ensure that the funds were used for their intended purposes.