EDITORIAL: Ominous tax threat should rattle government
The National Liquor Traders Council, the Liquor Brandowners Association, the Beer Association of SA and Vinpro say they can’t afford to pay R5bn in ‘sin taxes’ for July and August on alcohol that’s sitting in limbo in warehouses across the country
If any industry had grounds for a tax revolt, it would be SA’s liquor sector, now under the boot of an indefinite, unexpected and unexplained sales ban. The National Liquor Traders Council, the Liquor Brandowners Association, the Beer Association of SA and Vinpro say they can’t afford to pay R5bn in "sin taxes" for July and August on alcohol that’s sitting in limbo in warehouses across the country. They have asked that these duties be "deferred".
You can understand their desperation: already dealt a major blow by the five-week sales shutdown, which coincided with SA’s hard lockdown, the liquor industry is now losing an estimated R300m a week. And, thanks to an increasingly unaccountable executive, there has been no communication from either the presidency or the national coronavirus command council on how long this ban will endure...
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