A business is any entity engaged in commercial, industrial, or professional activities with the aim of making a profit. Businesses operate in different ways, but they generally fall into two main categories: product-based businesses and service-based businesses.

Product-Based Businesses
These businesses manufacture, distribute, or sell tangible goods to customers. They include everything from small retail stores and local manufacturers to multinational corporations producing cars, clothing, and electronics. The sale of physical items generates their primary revenue.

Service-Based Businesses
Instead of selling a tangible product, service-based businesses provide expertise, labor, or specialized skills to customers. These range from consulting firms, repair services, and healthcare providers to lawyers, accountants, and even spiritual advisors.

While both business models exist within every economy, taxation policies often differ between them, particularly when it comes to informal sectors, where service providers frequently operate under regulatory blind spots.

Taxation in Africa has often been disproportionately levied on the poor while some of the wealthiest individuals, including church pastors and traditional healers, operate unchecked. The irony is glaring: farmers are taxed for owning cattle, a skinny horse, small vendors are harassed for informal trading, yet spiritual service providers who charge exorbitant fees remain outside the tax net.

In Zimbabwe, names such as Prophet Walter Magaya, Emmanuel Makandiwa, Passion Java, and Uebert Angel have amassed fortunes by charging followers for prayers, “anointing oils,” and “miracle solutions.” Similarly, traditional healers such as Tasvu, Samson, Sithole, and others demand as much as $10,000 per client for spiritual interventions. These figures are not speculative; they are widely known within communities.

Given the millions of dollars being made in these religious and spiritual enterprises, one must ask: Why are these individuals not paying their fair share of taxes?

If a business is defined as an entity that charges money for services rendered, then religious leaders and traditional healers who demand payment for prayers, healing, and fortune-telling are business operators, not just spiritual guides. Their activities fall under service-based businesses, making them liable for taxation.

The Zimbabwean Minister of Finance, Mthuli Ncube, should be tasked with addressing this glaring loophole. Why is there a reluctance to tax these entities? Could it be fear of the so-called spiritual powers these individuals wield? Or is it simply a case of political convenience, where these figures hold too much influence over the masses?

In Zimbabwe and much of Africa, the poorest members of society face endless taxation—whether through cattle levies, market vendor fees, or indirect taxes on basic goods. Meanwhile, self-styled prophets and traditional healers live in luxury, own multiple properties, drive top-of-the-range vehicles, and even operate international businesses—all while avoiding tax obligations.

This is not just a matter of revenue collection but also of fairness. Why should a widow selling tomatoes on the street pay tax while a preacher charging thousands of dollars for a prayer session does not?

African governments must address this unequal taxation system. If pastors and traditional healers are charging money for their services, they are running a business and should be taxed accordingly. Countries like South Africa have already implemented taxation on religious institutions that engage in commercial activities—Zimbabwe must follow suit.

Minister Mthuli Ncube and the so called Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) must take immediate action to enforce tax compliance in this sector. If these spiritual entrepreneurs truly believe they are serving God or their ancestors, then they should not fear transparency in their financial dealings.

A business is a business, whether it sells tangible goods or spiritual promises. It is time for authorities to recognize that faith-based service providers charging fees are running commercial enterprises and should be taxed like any other business. The financial burden should not fall solely on the poor while a select few continue to exploit faith for fortune.

The government must step up and demand accountability from these untaxed millionaires. The era of untouchable religious moguls must end—tax them now!