LABOUR DAY; PAY RISE FOR TANZANIANS

Tanzanians have now a reason to smile on labour day after their President, Samia Suluhu has increased the salaries by 35%.

Speaking during the Labour Day celebrations on Thursday, May 1, 2025, Suluhu noted that their economy had commendably grown by 5.5 %. She therefore did this to reward the workers who have made the growth possible.

“Kwa mapenzi makubwa, na kwa namna mlivyoiunga mkono serikali tulivyowaomba mfunge mkanda, na mkaamua kujituma na kufanya kazi kwa bidii na kufanya uchumi wetu ukuwe kwa asilimia 5.5 mwaka huu; na kwa kuwa mcheza kwao hutunzwa, baada ya kuangalia jinsi uchumi ulivyopanda, ninayo furaha ya kuwatangazia kwamba mwaka huu, serikali itaongeza kima cha chini cha mshahara kwa watumishi wa umma kwa asilimia 35.1,” Suluhu said .

She highlighted that the pay rise is set to come into effect in July, this year, where the government would disburse Tsh 500,000( Ksh 24,095) from the initial Tsh 370,000( 17,830) , to each least paid worker.

“Nyongeza hii itakayoanza kutumika mwezi Julai mwaka huu, itaongeza kima cha chini cha mshahara Tsh370,000 hadi Tsh500,000. Ngazi zingine za mshahara nazo zitapanda kwa kiasi kizuri," the Tanzanian head of state added.

2024 reports revealed that Tanzania had significantly improved in terms of trade volumes, overtaking Kenya and Uganda. This growth was attributed to his capacity to serve other markets in South Africa and Ethiopia.

Tanzania's neighbour to the North, Kenya also marked her 60th Labour day, with President William Ruto initiating significant changes that would easen the tax burden on workers. Ruto announced that pensions and gratuities would no longer be taxed , and employers would be allowed to directly apply for tax reliefs .

“To improve workers’ take-home pay, employers will now be required to apply eligible tax relief and exemptions directly when calculating Pay as you earn (PAYE); a significant shift from the current system where such reliefs can only be claimed from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA),” he stated.