The DA has embarked on a nationwide picketing drive to get citizens to voice their disapproval of a proposed 2% Value Added Tax hike, which will see a marked increase on everything from goods to services.
The DA has, instead, called for an increase in jobs, not higher VAT.
According to the DA’s federal office, “The ANC was going to increase grants by a small amount to reduce the pain that the VAT increase will cause, but people want jobs, not a small increase in grants. The average starting salary in South Africa is between R4 800 and R7 500 per month, and as people gain more experience, they can earn much more than that. Clearly, it is much better to have a job than a grant of a few hundred rand per month.”
What struck the DA, locally as well, with the rollout of the campaign, is that citizens are blissfully unaware of the impact a VAT hike will have.
The DA will now work to turn what was going to be a job-killing budget into a budget for growth and jobs, but if the ANC refuses to hear reason, we will vote against this budget when it comes to Parliament in March, the federal leadership said.
A nationwide campaign has now been rolled out, with the local DA picketing against the proposed VAT hike since yesterday.
The goals of the campaign are to tell South Africans that:
1 – The ANC wants to increase VAT instead of growing the economy and creating the jobs people need.
2 – The DA’s opposition to the ANC’s VAT increase has stopped a bad budget from being passed.
3 – The DA needs public help to stop the ANC’s VAT increase and instead implement the DA’s policies that will grow the economy and create jobs.
The party asks the public to sign a petition, which states:
The postponement of the Minister of Finance’s 2025/26 National Budget Speech is a victory for the people of South Africa, as it prevents the implementation of a 2% VAT increase that would have broken the back of our economy.
The budget still needs to be tabled and we as South Africans need to show that we will not accept any new tax increases.
Tax increases are a short-term cash grab that will make life harder for ordinary South Africans, making food, transport, and daily essentials more expensive.
The DA will not support tax increases.
The government should be making it cheaper and easier for businesses to flourish, which will create jobs and grow the economy. Not reaching into your pocket to fund ANC failures!
Instead of a VAT increase, the DA has proposed policies that will support businesses, grow the economy and create jobs.
The DA’s pressure stopped the budget speech from taking place, but we need your help to show the ANC and other parties that South Africans reject any job-killing VAT increase in the upcoming budget to be tabled. Sign the petition now to stop new tax hikes and demand jobs and growth!
Expect to see your DA councillor:
The local DA says it will roll out the campaign to all wards, where councillors will be available to engage with the public to explain how the VAT hike will affect their wallets.
The campaign started with a picket yesterday, during which DA councillors, activists and members, launched a visibility campaign opposite McDonalds in Cowen Ntuli Street.
The campaign is set to continue throughout town today, with public engagement events scheduled to take place in public areas.
