By A Correspondent
Hwange – In a development that has sparked debate about Zimbabwe’s growing appetite for taxes, the Hwange Local Board has issued a formal demand for an annual fee of USD 80.50 from a local business owner — for operating a snooker table.
In a letter dated May 16, 2025, and signed by Town Secretary N. Mdlalose, the council informed the business located at 4 Sandalwood Crescent, Baobab Hill, that payment was required in accordance with Hwange Local Board by-laws and the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15), specifically Sections 269 to 272.
“We wish to inform you that an annual tariff of USD 80.50, inclusive of Value Added Tax, is due for the operation of a snooker table at your premises,” reads the letter.
Failure to comply by the set deadline of May 30, 2025, would result in immediate enforcement action.
“Please be advised that failure to make this payment by Monday, 30 May 2025, will leave Council with no option but to prohibit the continued operation of the snooker table(s).”
The move has stirred outrage among small business operators, who say the council is targeting harmless entertainment amenities to raise revenue in a crumbling economy.
“This is getting ridiculous,” said one Hwange entrepreneur who runs a bottle store and spoke on condition of anonymity. “We pay for licenses, we pay ZIMRA, we pay EMA, and now we have to pay to let someone play a game of snooker? What’s next, a dartboard tax?”
Another small business owner expressed frustration over what they described as a punitive system.
“They should be encouraging small businesses, not bleeding us dry. A snooker table doesn’t make that kind of money,” he said. “This is just another way of milking struggling operators.”
Social commentators say the move reflects a broader national trend, where local authorities are introducing unconventional fees in an attempt to stay afloat.
“Zimbabwe is slowly becoming a tax country,” said one observer.
“The tax regime has reached alarming levels, and it’s now encroaching into leisure and low-income entertainment.”
Local authorities have been increasingly criticized for targeting informal and micro-level operators rather than addressing corporate compliance or service delivery gaps.
As the deadline looms, it remains to be seen whether operators will comply or push back against what many now call “the snooker tax.”