February 2005 Basic Needs and Nutrition Basket: The 2005 National Budget: Continuing with the Status Quo?
Abstract
The JCTR Basic Needs Basket is a measure of the cost of essential food and non-food items for a family of six living in one of six specific urban areas: Luanshya, Ndola, Lusaka, Kitwe, Livingstone and Kabwe. In January 2005, the Basic Needs Basket totaled K838,410 for Luanshya, K988,280 for Ndola, K1,340,840 for Lusaka, K973,910 for Kitwe, K1,108,750 for Livingstone, and K842,900 for Kabwe. Furthermore, the cost of basic food alone was K511,610 in Luanshya, K501,180 in Ndola, K492,940 in Lusaka, K479,210 in Kitwe, K453,350 in Livingstone, and K424,780 in Kabwe. For the same month, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) calculated an average Basic Needs Basket across all of Zambia at 920,441 Kwacha, with the average cost of basic food for a Zambian family measured at 640,982 Kwacha.
Description
The JCTR strongly supports the Catholic Commission for Justice, Development and Peace (CCJDP) and others who have called for an upward increase in the Pay as You Earn (PAYE) exemption threshold. In the 2002-2003 Living Conditions Monitoring Survey, the CSO classifies a family as ‘extremely poor’ if it is unable to afford the monthly cost of basic food items and ‘poor’ if it is unable to afford the monthly cost of the full Basic Needs Basket.