Maseru, Apr. 11 — The Government of Lesotho may need to consider reducing the size of its public service in response to new tariffs imposed by the United States, according to economist Mr. Thabo Qhesi.
In an interview with the Lesotho News Agency (LENA) on Friday, Mr. Qhesi warned that the introduction of these tariffs could negatively impact Lesotho’s exports to the US, subsequently reducing the country’s share of revenue from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).
He explained that such a decline in revenue could place pressure on the government to reduce its expenditure, including a potential trimming of the public workforce.
“The new US tariffs could negatively affect SACU revenue,” said Mr. Qhesi. “A decline in demand for goods exported to the US due to increased tariffs could lead to a drop in customs revenue. This would reduce the total amount transferred to SACU’s Common Revenue Pool, which countries like Lesotho rely on heavily.” PM/TL
