VAT-free chicken is vital for South Africa and its children, FairPlay founder Francois Baird told a TV audience.
In an SABC interview, Baird said South Africa’s child malnutrition rate had increased since the government failed to remove VAT from chicken in 2018.
In 2018, 27% of children under five years old were stunted, the result of malnutrition of mothers and children. The latest HSRC survey found that the stunting rate had risen to 28.8% of all children under five and that 63% of households were food insecure.
“This is simply unacceptable. It’s the wrong trend,” Baird said.
“The only short-term immediate solution that the country might afford is to make VAT-free chicken a reality.”
Baird said the poultry industry was finalising a proposal to remove VAT from chicken portions favoured by low-income households. “This is a vital for South Africa’s health, and particularly for the future of South African children.”
Baird said removing VAT from chicken could result in a production increase of up to 10%, creating thousands of new jobs in rural areas where unemployment was highest and social problems abound.
This made it a much-needed social and economic upliftment programme, Baird said.
