The Capital Brief

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Edition 06·09 July 2026Latest Members

The right tax, applied to the wrong problem: VAT on digital services and Botswana's fiscal instrument question

From 1 June 2026, Botswana taxes Netflix, Spotify, and foreign digital advertising through a new VAT on remote services. Edition 06 examines who actually pays, whether the reverse charge protects compliant businesses, and the harder question underneath the headline: is VAT the right instrument to correct Botswana's fiscal position, or a reasonable tax applied to a structural problem it cannot solve.

Tax policy, VAT, fiscal policy, digital economy, BURS

Cover for The right tax, applied to the wrong problem: VAT on digital services and Botswana's fiscal instrument question

Previous Editions

Edition 05·01 July 2026 Members

The New Botswana City: reading the project beyond the ribbon-cutting

Edition 05 examines the P25 billion New Botswana City project at the SSKIA Special Economic Zone: the land valuation question, the concession structure, and whether the MICE ecosystem required to make it work can realistically be built.

Economic development, infrastructure, investment, BDC, MICE

Edition 04·19 June 2026 Members

Botswana, South Africa, and the trade finance gap: The four agreements and what they actually deliver.

The 6th Botswana-South Africa Bi National Commission signed four agreements in Gaborone on 21 May 2026. This edition examines what each agreement delivers beyond the signing ceremony, why the energy deal carries the most consequence for private investment, what the 93% agricultural import dependency from South Africa means as a structural risk, and why Africa's USD 74 to 92 billion trade finance deficit will constrain Botswana's AfCFTA ambitions regardless of how many bilateral agreements are signed.

Trade Policy. Regional Integration. AfCFTA. Infrastructure Finance. Agricultural Trade. DBSA.

Edition 03·31 May 2026Free

Botswana Government Debt at a Glance

The 2.2% projection that cannot hold. What S&P and E-consult both found independently. The P514 billion financing gap in the transformation program. The Pula under structural pressure. Specific recommendations for four institutions.

Monetary Policy. Fiscal Policy. Foreign Exchange Policy. BETPRead free

Edition 02·19 May 2026Free

Financial Stability Council on Botswana May 2026

The Financial Stability Council on 7 May 2026. The system is stable. The risks are growing. And the single biggest threat is not the banks, the market, or a global shock.

Financial Stability and Regulation. NBFIRA. BOB. FIA.Read free

Edition 01·30 April 2026 Members

Rate Shock: Bank of Botswana Raises MoPR by 200 Basis Points

What the April 2026 MPC decision means for your loan, your business, your wallet, and the economy at large. Plus the structural liquidity story underneath the rate move.

Monetary Policy. Bank of Botswana

The Capital Brief

Weekly economic intelligence for Botswana, in plain language.

Real data. Real analysis. Written for the business owner, the analyst, the professional, and the regular Motswana equally. Get every edition straight to your inbox and full archive access in your subscriber portal.

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