SOCIAL PROTECTION/BASIC INCOME GRANT

• On 21 January, a media statement was issued on a meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and civil society organisations at which:
  • participants ‘affirmed the need to work towards affordable and sustainable social protection mechanisms’ that:
    • ‘complement job creation’
    • ‘drive local demand’, and
    • take account of associated ‘fiscal implications’.

 

PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION ACT

• The Information Regulator has called for further public comment on the Credit Bureau Association’s draft code of conduct, which was:
  • released in April 2021 for stakeholder input
  • later rejected by the regulator, and
  • has now been resubmitted, unchanged, for approval.

 

TAX POLICY

• National Treasury has extended to 7 February the deadline for public comment on three discussion documents published on 15 December:

• the most ‘appropriate’ tax regime for the oil and gas industry
• the design, implementation and impact of South Africa’s research and development tax incentive, and
• taxing electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems (vaping).

 

TAX LEGISLATION

• Three Acts giving effect to proposals in the 2021/22 Budget were gazetted on 19 January, when they came into effect unless otherwise indicted in the text:
  • the 2021 Taxation Laws Amendment Act, intended, among other things, to:
    • curb employment tax incentive abuse
    • finetune industrial policy project tax incentive compliance requirements, and
    • clarify the scope and definition of carbon sequestration
  • the 2021 Tax Administration Laws Amendment Act, intended, among other things, to provide for:
    • administrative non-compliance penalties based on estimates for the non-submission of six-monthly employees’ tax returns, and
    • remove ‘the double-penalty for the same incidence of non-compliance relating to employees’ tax’, and
  • the Rates and Monetary Amounts and Amendment of Revenue Laws Act, reflecting changes to:
    • rates of duty under the Customs and Excise Act, and
    • monetary thresholds in the personal income tax tables.

 

ROAD TRANSPORT

• In last week’s speech on recent festive season road accident statistics, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula:
  • drew attention to new regulations under the Road Traffic Management Corporation Act, which:
    • were gazetted on 14 January, and
    • are expected to ‘aid in addressing the corruption associated with ... issuing ... (driving) licenses and/or rendering ... (related) services’, and
  • announced his department’s intention to appeal the 13 January Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) ruling, declaring the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act unconstitutional.

 

Prepared by Pam Saxby