Amanda Visser

Montagu

Business Journalist at Freelance

Financial journo writing about tax and all things regulatory

Articles

Constitutionality of the minister’s power to amend tax rates remains untested

1 week ago | moonstone.co.za | Amanda Visser

The constitutionality of the delegation of law-making power to the Minister of Finance to introduce taxes and raise or reduce tax rates by way of an announcement in the annual Budget Review remains untested. The value-added tax fiasco in Parliament was settled via an agreement between the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters and the minister before the matter could be tackled in court.
Budget 3.0 forces government to face all the cans it kicked down the road

1 week ago | citizen.co.za | Amanda Visser

Government is now at the end of the road where all the cans that have been kicked down over the years are gathered and waiting to be dealt with. There is no more room to increase borrowings, and the value-added tax (Vat) fiasco clearly demonstrated that raising taxes is not an option. Budget 3.0 is forcing government to make the difficult decisions that have been ignored for far too long.
Budget 3.0 forces government to face all the cans it kicked down the road

1 week ago | flipboard.com | Amanda Visser

The extent to which Chinese vehicle brands, particularly SUVs, are upending the motor retail market in the country is starkly laid bare in the annual …
Vat legal challenge could have wider implications

2 weeks ago | citizen.co.za | Amanda Visser

The next crucial chapter in the value-added tax (Vat) case before the Western Cape High Court relates to the power given to the minister of finance to alter a tax rate by virtue of an announcement in the annual budget. Political parties the DA and EFF challenge the constitutionality of Section 7(4) of the Vat Act.
Vat legal challenge could have wider implications

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Amanda Visser

6 hours agoPresident Trump has decided to give automakers a break on some of his tariffs, the latest retreat from a get-tough policy he has said is aimed at bringing manufacturing jobs to America and driving up government revenues. Sell USA? Why Trump's tariffs may be sparking a historic storm on Wall …
Godongwana’s Vat rewind may hit legal wall

2 weeks ago | citizen.co.za | Amanda Visser

National Treasury and Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s early morning announcement, made through a media statement, that he was reversing his decision to increase the value-added tax (Vat) appears to have no legal standing. The only way to overturn the increase is for Parliament to adopt a new Rates and Monetary Amounts and the Amendment of the Revenue Laws Bill. It is highly improbable that this will happen before 1 May, especially considering the SA public holidays next week.
Godongwana’s Vat rewind may hit legal wall

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Amanda Visser

2 hours agoPut the knife in deep to save the economyThere are two ways of looking at the goings-on over the on-off VAT increase. It’s either a shambles, or a fine example of democracy in action as …9 hours agoAncient Rameses III Inscription Found Etched Into Remote Jordanian MountainsideIt's the first ancient Egyptian cartouche ever found in Jordan.
Tax Court faults SARS in R158m VAT case over legal insurance fund

3 weeks ago | moonstone.co.za | Amanda Visser

Value-added tax keeps making the news. If it’s not a rate hike that gets people irate, it’s the disallowance of their legitimate input tax claims that forces them into litigation with the South African Revenue Service. A recent case before the Western Cape Tax Court shows that it helps if taxpayers stand up for their rights. The court ordered SARS to set aside additional VAT assessments of close to R158 million.
Decision to introduce Vat rate change ‘cannot be interdicted at this stage’

3 weeks ago | citizen.co.za | Amanda Visser

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana denies that he ever suggested he could revoke the implementation of the increase in the value-added tax (Vat) rate from 15% to 15.5%. The rate will increase on 1 May. In his answering affidavit to an urgent application by the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the minister also denies that he has misled the public.
Decision to introduce Vat rate change ‘cannot be interdicted at this stage’

3 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Amanda Visser

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