Parliament’s standing committee on finance has an intensive series of public hearings lined up when committees begin work next week, most controversially regarding the constitutionality of the Financial Intelligence Centre Amendment (Fica) Bill. The committee has called for written submissions on the bill, as well as the taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages and the insurance bill. Public hearings on the Fica bill will take place on January 25, on the taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages on January 31 and on the insurance bill on February 7. The hearings on sugar-sweetened beverages will be held jointly with the portfolio committee on health. President Jacob Zuma referred the Fica bill back to Parliament — six months after its adoption by the legislative body — because of concerns over the constitutionality of its provision for warrantless searches in certain circumstances. The concern was that it violated the Constitution in allowing for the invasion of privacy.

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