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value added taxlatest news & developments
Edward Kieswetter says taxpayers’ willingness to comply has been eroded by poor governance. (Screenshot: YouTube)

Unequal society burdens South Africa’s tax system, says Sars head

Edward Kieswetter says taxpayers’ willingness to comply has been eroded by poor governance

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.

High court suspends VAT hike

The Democratic Alliance launched the application against the finance minister, the South African Revenue Service, the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chairperson of the…

IFP leader Velenkosi Hlabisa. (@GovernmentZA/X)

Hlabisa calls for stability as VAT fallout threatens to capsize GNU

The Inkatha Freedom Party president said the VAT debate should not be weaponised to derail the coalition government’s primary mandate of ensuring economic stability and service…

Staying put: Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is under pressure from some political parties to resign over the VAT drama and the national budget. (Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Budget 2.0: Political parties divided over VAT hike, albeit lower than initial proposal

The Democratic Alliance said the budget would struggle to pass in parliament, given the ANC’s lack of a majority

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Steenhuisen reiterates DA opposition to tax hikes

His party would have yielded if any increases were guaranteed to be temporary and tied to an overhaul of state spending patterns

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. (Photo: Mlungisi Louw/Gallo Images)

Godongwana: We looked at every alternative to VAT hike

The finance minister suggests that much of the opposition wrangling is part of a broader political battle

Firm: Democratic Alliance finance spokesperson Mark Burke said the DA will not bend on increasing VAT to make up a budget shortfall. Photo: DA/X

Budget impasse down to the wire

Any VAT increase is probably off the table, leaving the treasury to look for revenue without bringing the coalition to the brink

Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s president, shows the signed bill for National Health Insurance signed into law in Pretoria, South Africa, on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.  (Leon Sadiki/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The National Health Insurance means a higher tax burden for South Africans

If value-added tax were to be used to fund the insurance, it would have to rise from 15% to 21.5%

Food prices are too high for some households to bear but more targeted relief might have a greater impact. Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Food cost crisis: Is zero-rating the answer?

Food prices are too high for some households to bear but more targeted relief might have a greater impact

Illicit: Tobacco farmers want the price of cigarettes to be fixed so that smokers know that if they are paying less than R28 for a box of 20, then the product is illegal. (Michael D Kock)

Tobacco farmers want the taxman to do more to control illegal cigarette trade

The Black Tobacco Farmers’ Association the introduction of a minimum price level for cigarettes

Phillimon Mojale is the owner of Mojale Place, a tavern in Ivory Park township, north of Johannesburg. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Taverns hit hard by liquor ban

About R8-billion was lost during the hard lockdown and revenue is being slashed further

Taxing issue: The growth in international online business-to-consumer and business-to-business trade, both in volume and in the number of participants, has created challenges for the collection of value-added tax. (David Harrison)

New VAT rules lead global tax reform

The target for tax authorities is the $2-trillion in annual e-commerce transactions that is set to rise to $4.5-trillion in three years’ time

The revenue service reduced the credit book on VAT refunds from R41.8-billion in September 2018 to R25-billion by the end of the financial year, acting Sars commissioner Mark Kingon said.

Tax revenues record shock decline

The preliminary outcome is worse than budgeted in February, but say officials, the turnaround in tax refunds shows greater transparency

Judge Dennis Davis has been brought in to assess the tax gap and the effect of an improved collection system. (Sharief Jaffer)

Resurrected taxman cometh

Tito Mboweni is plugging the revenue collection holes created by the former commissioner

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni delivered a tough, messy budget speech in a tough, messy economy. (David Harrison/M&G)

Eskom’s plight the fault line in Tito Mboweni’s 2019 budget

Eskom gets R69-billion in additional funds for its restructuring plans but no debt relief deal

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni will present his budget speech on Wednesday in Parliament. (Rodger Bosch/Getty Images)

Budget 2019: EFF and DA detail key issues for Mboweni to prioritise

Opposition parties have added their input ahead of the presentation of the budget speech

(Graphic: John McCann/M&G)

Your guide to surviving 2019

Here’s our round-up of the outlook for electricity, taxes, fuel, wages and the economy

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni. (Sumaya Hisham/Reuters)

The finance minister details a plan to ‘rebuild the ancient ruins’

​It’s not often that Bible verses and Dickens are quoted in the same speech, especially when the speech is to outline the medium-term budget

Editorial: It’s dangerous to other foreigners (Photo Archive)

Editorial: At last, dignity for women

‘This week, South Africans overcame in some ways the silence and shame tied to menstruation’

Emptying pockets: South African Revenuse Service acting commissioner Mark Kingon

Sars to pay R20-billion owed in VAT refunds

The 1% VAT increase had cushioned the revenue shortfall in 2018, because it brought in roughly the same amount as the R20-billion VAT refunds.