DA tax hike hypocrisy exposed: A betrayal of ordinary South Africans

The Democratic Alliance DA) claims of caring for ordinary South Africans have been exposed as nothing more than empty rhetoric.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana revealed DA played significant role in pushing for personal income tax bracket creep, effectively forcing an automatic tax hike on South Africans.

This revelation came to light during joint sitting of the Standing and Select Committees on Finance in Parliament on Friday, where Treasury and South African Revenue Service (SARS) responded to submissions on the Fiscal Framework.

Godongwana disclosed following Cabinet deadlock over proposed two-percentage-point VAT hike, President Cyril Ramaphosa established task team to resolve the crisis, which included DA leader John Steenhuisen.

The DA proposal, which included no inflationary adjustment to personal income tax brackets, would have extracted an additional R18 billion from South Africa’s 7.5 million taxpayers.

This is staggering, especially considering the party’s public opposition to the 0.5 percentage point VAT increase, which would have collectively taken R13.5 billion from all South African consumers.

The DA actions demonstrate clear disregard for the struggles of ordinary, middle-class South Africans, already struggling with rising food prices, high interest rates, and limited career growth due to stagnant economy.

It’s clear the party is out of touch with the lived realities of ordinary South Africans.

ActionSA has condemned DA proposal, rejecting any tax hikes that force hard-working South Africans to pay for government mismanagement and corruption.

As the constructive opposition in Parliament, ActionSA vows to continue exposing double standards of all parties in coalition government (GNU), ensuring South Africans are aware when their leaders betray them, especially when it means reaching deeper into taxpayers’ pockets.