Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene has requested the chair of the Davis Tax Committee‚ Judge Dennis Davis‚ to appoint a panel of independent experts to review the current list of zero-rated items and consider the most effective way to mitigate the impact of the increase in the VAT rate on poor and low-income households. A statement from the National Treasury on Thursday evening said the review would also consider expanding the list of basic food items that were VAT zero-rated. It would also consider how specific expenditure programmes such as the National School Nutrition Programme and food stamps among others could be improved to better target poor and low-income households. "The Minister of Finance and Judge Davis have agreed to appoint Professor Ingrid Woolard to lead this process‚ together with prominent experts. A full list of panel members and comprehensive terms of reference will be published in the next fortnight‚ including a draft programme of work. The panel will take public c...

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