Callous tax hike fails the people

Sizwe Dlamini

THE 2025 Budget Speech, delivered by South Africa’s Finance Minister, has been met with widespread condemnation, with critics slamming it as a callous and economically destructive move that will further cripple already struggling households. The proposed one percentage point VAT increase over two years, coupled with the failure to adjust personal income tax brackets for inflation, has been described as “unacceptable” and a “slap in the face” to taxpayers. Solidarity, a leading trade union, has led the charge, accusing the govern- ment of showing “no compassion whatsoever” for the people of South Africa. The Treasury’s proposal to increase VAT by one percentage point has been met with fierce resistance. Theuns du Buisson, an economic researcher at the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI), minced no words in his criticism: “This increase will…

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Sunday Independent (Digital) - 1 Issue, 2025-03-16

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