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• Zimbabwe's economy 'literally sustained by beer and cigarettes' 

Revenue from tax on alcohol and tobacco has been the key contribution to Zimbabwe's overall income, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said in presenting a revised 2009 budget to Parliament. "Indirect taxes made up of customs and excise duty have contributed 88 per cent of government revenue which means that the government has been literally sustained by beer and cigarettes. This is unacceptable," Biti said.

The newly-appointed Biti revised downwards overall revenue expectations from the 1,7 billion US dollars announced by his predecessor in January to 1 billion dollars. Biti said expenditure would top 1,9 billion dollars, therefore the budget forecasts a 43 per cent loss.

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