Local economist Theo Klein says it's time income taxpayers hold the government accountable for how it manages revenue derived from taxes.

The second-highest share of tax revenue is derived from income-added tax.

"In 2010, we had about N$11 billion in debt, and at the moment we have about N$130 billion in debt. That means, since 2010, GRN has been borrowing N$29 million every single day, including weekends, for the last 12 years. We want to know where this money is going because it's a sizable amount given our small economy and population."

Klein believes that government debt is not being spent productively. 

"Our debt has been growing at a much faster rate than our economy. That tells me that most of our debt is being used for consumption purposes, and this is worrisome because, at the moment, you have between 3- and 27-year GRN bonds you can invest in, so if you are taking money from local investors for a 27-year bond to pay salaries next month, that is a serious problem, and that is what is happening at the moment. About 35 cents of every dollar invested in a GRN bond is being used to repay old debt."

The economist also touched on the country's minimum taxable income threshold, saying the last time it was adjusted was in 2014.

"It is standard practice globally to adjust your tax bracket for inflation, yet we do not see this happening in Namibia, and this negatively influences the real low-income earners in the country. They've already had high-interest rates and high inflation since last year, and now they have to start paying taxes because they earn more than N$50,000 per year, which we obviously oppose."

Klein also said poverty in Namibia is not reducing as more people often have to go without food and do not have medical care.

"Current poverty rates are exactly what they were in 2008. So all the poverty reduction gains we've made in our economic booming years before 2015, have been completely wiped out, and the other problem is that we are still sitting with the same proportion of our population in poverty, but we have a much bigger population now than we did in 2008."

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Frances Shaahama