
VAT hike scaled back, but social grants take the biggest hit
With the government now R8.6 billion short, planned social grant increases have been slashed – while Home Affairs and border management also see deep budget cuts.
With the government now R8.6 billion short, planned social grant increases have been slashed – while Home Affairs and border management also see deep budget cuts.
Experts slam the idea of a VAT increase, pointing to a record tax burden and bloated expenditure. From uncollected billions to inefficient governance, the real fix lies in reining in waste, not squeezing taxpayers.
Instead of hiking VAT, the government could fix its tax collection problems, improve state resource management, and stimulate the economy to boost revenue.
The VAT hike could add R58bn to government revenue, but with coalition partners clashing over its impact on ordinary South Africans, the debate over how to fund critical services without deepening the cost-of-living crisis is far from settled.
With South Africa’s debt-to-GDP ratio at 75.1%, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana faces a tough balancing act – can his Budget Speech reassure investors and spark economic growth?
A dip in corporate and VAT revenues has left a R10bn hole in expected tax collections. As the Budget approaches, Treasury faces a difficult balancing act.
This is double the initial estimate of between R5bn and R6bn.
The Global Minimum Tax Act aims to level the playing field for multinationals while potentially adding R8 billion to South Africa’s tax base by 2027.
More than 3.6 million companies were registered with SARS, and only 0.1% of them contributed 72.3% of corporate income tax revenue in 2022.
The MTBPS shows tax revenue will be below the Budget estimates, but SARS is adamant it will do everything in its power to collect as much money as it can.
The Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement reveals a budget surplus and reduced wage bill, but it warns of ongoing financial pressures due to modest economic growth projections.
The commissioner says the Revenue Service has put measures in place to meet the revised estimate for revenue collection.
Not providing tax relief will be a relatively easy way for a cash-strapped National Treasury to collect revenue.
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