The FairPlay movement congratulates Mr Tito Mboweni on his appointment as Minister of Finance. We look forward to working with the new Minister and his team as he finalises the deliberations on exemptions from Value Added Tax for essential food items.
FairPlay has campaigned consistently for the zero-rating of chicken, which is the main source of protein for poor people. Removing VAT from chicken would bring immediate relief to lower-income households that are struggling to cope amid rapidly rising food prices.
Although Mr Mboweni is the third Finance Minister to hold office during the VAT review process this year, he is vastly experienced and we have confidence in the capacity and capability of the treasury team. We are therefore confident that the arrival of a new Minister will not result in further delays to the political and parliamentary decision-making process regarding changes to the basket of zero-rated goods.
The removal of VAT from South African chicken is of major importance to millions of poor people in South Africa.
