The government has introduced new ‘machine readable’ passports. Prices have subsequently risen from Tsh. 20,000 to Tsh.50,000 due to the high cost of producing the new type of passport. Is the government fair to levy the increased cost on the passport applicants only?

NO. I think the fee is too high. Because the rise in fees is attributed to the high cost of producing these high-tech machine readable passports, the government was supposed to carry the extra cost and not the applicants. This is because in the first place it was the government’s idea and not ours. It is unfair for passport applicants to share the costs of the new passport simply because the passports are not easily forged. The fee itself is equal to someone’s one-month salary, which means someone has to starve for a month to pay for the passport.
Mohamed Amani – Tour operator.

NO. The new fees of Tsh.50,000 is far too much. The government has now turned the issuing of passports into a business project – to generate more funds from the already ‘wachovu’ Tanzanians. The 1977 Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania clearly stipulates that it is the right of any citizen to have a travel document and to go anywhere without breaking the law. The fee is too prohibitive and is aimed at allowing few Tanzanians to enjoy this right. In other words, the government is contradicting itself.
Jeniveva Mangapwani – Entrepreneur.

NO. By increasing the passport fees the government is being very unfair. A good example is when the commuter bus operators raised the fare; the government intervened as it was acting in favour of the majority. The reason however for increasing the fares was similar to the one the government is citing for the passports – increased production costs. I fail to understand the government; it is as if we are millionaires. This is similar to assigning your child with the buying of a commodity while you know that the ability of your child is limited.
Merit Mgoya – Secretary.

NO. The government is being very unfair to sell passports to the people. I am blaming the government for not involving the people when it was devising the process of machine readable passports. Had they been involved, I am sure more inputs could have been received, and even the modes of payment could have been identified and most probably the fee could have been lower.
Mahundi Christopher – Businessman.

Compiled by Timothy Kitundu.