LACK of cooperation between local authorities and other government institutions has fueled revenue leakages and poor service delivery, Ministry of Local government and rural development permanent secretary for administration Gabriel Pollen has revealed.
Dr Pollen said councils have for years failed to fully collect property rates and other local taxes not because people are unwilling to pay, but because government systems do not speak to each other.
He said while institutions such as the Ministry of Lands, ZESCO, PACRA and the Zambia Revenue Authority each hold pieces of vital information, local authorities, the engines of local development are often left guessing who owns what, who is operating a business and who should be paying taxes.
“ZESCO knows who is consuming power on a piece of land, PACRA knows which businesses are registered there, ZRA knows the tax obligations, but councils do not know exactly who should be paying the requisite taxes,” Dr Pollen said.
The permanent secretary said this information gap has created a fertile ground for revenue leakages, with thousands of properties and businesses remaining outside council tax nets.
He explained that the lack of integrated systems has also resulted in inaccurate ownership records, legal disputes and delayed services, while citizens are forced to submit the same documents to multiple offices just to start a single project.
Dr Pollen was speaking during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on data sharing and integration between local authorities and key government agencies, a move he described as a major turning point for local governance.
He said the MoU will, for the first time, bring councils and central government institutions under one data-sharing umbrella, allowing systems to communicate and support local authorities to grow their own-source revenue.
The agreement targets key revenue streams such as property rates, ground rent, property transfer tax and rental income.
He assured the public that the data integration will be implemented with strict safeguards to protect confidentiality and privacy, adding that the MoU sets clear benchmarks aimed at ensuring zero data breaches.
“This is not about spying on citizens. It is about making government work better and ensuring fair taxation,” said Dr Pollen.
By George Musonda
Kalemba December 31, 2025
