Strong backing for the removal of value added tax (VAT) from chicken has come from the South African Local Government Association (Salga), which represents all of the country’s municipalities.
The organisation’s KwaZulu-Natal chair, Thami Nduli, said a temporary 15% reduction on poultry prices would bring some relief to poor households struggling because of food price inflation.
Nduli told news channel ENCA that his branch would lobby Salga branches across the country, as well as the upper house of parliament, the National Council of Provinces, to unite on one message – zero VAT on chicken.
He noted that the last time Salga called for a VAT zero-rating it had been to reduce the price of sanitary towels, and the call had succeeded.
A 15% price reduction for chicken products would “enable ordinary citizens of our country to have access to essential proteins”, he said.
FairPlay has campaigned for “VAT-free chicken” since 2018, together with the SA Poultry Association (SAPA). Both have repeated the call this year as food prices have risen sharply.
