Cabinet Approves SANRAL Plan for E-Toll Closure and Debt Write-Off
Draft Rates and Monetary Amounts Bill: Treasury Invites Public Comment
Draft South African Police Service Amendment Bill Submitted to Parliament
Parliament Demands Intergovernmental Action Plan on R110bn Municipal Eskom Debt
Parliament Committee Calls for Prioritised Lifestyle Audits for SCM Officials
Draft VAT Amendments Issued for Valuable Metals Reverse Charge
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The ANC government was generally slammed for a Budget that saw personal income tax rates for the first time in 20 years, while not nearly enough was being done to tackle government spending and crony capitalism, according to opposition MPs.
The 2015 Budget was tabled today by finance minister Nhlanhle Nene. It contains a 1% hike in tax rates for middle to high-income earners, increased road accident levies, but also a serious effort by government to curtail spending.
The Financial Intelligence Centre Act (Fica) is a monstrous intrusion into the lives of ordinary South Africans. It adds to the costs of doing transactions, but is easily side-stepped by determined criminals, which is its intended target. It should be scrapped.
The Democratic Alliance came out swinging ahead of SA's Budget speech, arguing that the well-publicised and expected increases in taxes are not necessary. Rather, the government should cut back on wasteful spending and start selling off state-owned assets.
The message from government is that foreign investment is not welcome. Apart from the planned prohibition on foreign land ownership, a host of new laws in the pipeline is causing alarm among US companies operating in SA.
Former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils is suing deputy defence minister Kebby Maphatsoe for defamation for claiming he set up President Jacob Zuma for a rape charge.
The US recognises the right of the individual to stand their ground and defend themselves when under imminent threat of attack. In South Africa, the law is somewhat murkier, but the courts lean towards the concept of retreat from imminent danger rather than violent confrontation.
Proponents of the welfare state would do well to understand the origins of their cherished beliefs. It was the eugenicists who were loudest in promoting the welfare state in the post-World War II era, among them the famous economist, John Maynard Keynes. They had nothing but contempt for the poor.
The question being asked by the media this week was: who jammed the cell phone signals during last week's chaos in Parliament, and on whose authority. Whoever it was operated under the misguided belief they could do as they please. 
There is a percepitble mood of panic in SA, accentuated by power-downs, chaos in Parliament and a limping economy. Business is urning finance minister to break the curse of negativity in his upcoming budget speech, but the chances of this happening are slim to zero.
A Johannesburg judge has been suspended pending investigations to accusations he attempted to solicit a bribe to make a case disappear. It is alleged he accepted R90,000 in cash but the accused in the case still ended up in prison.
The draft Land Holdings Bill is due to come before Parliament. It will prevent foreigners from owning land in SA, restricting them to long-term leases rather than outright ownership of land, and no more than 12,000 hectares.
The ANC and Cosatu are threatening "drastic action" over high fees charged by SA's banks. The Democratic Alliance has warned against meddling with "free market forces" which is an odd statement for a sector in which there are just four major players. Hardly a free market at all. 
The riotous events in Parliament this week as President Jacob Zuma attempted to give his State of the Nation address points to the magnitude of the problem facing the ANC. That problem points straight back to Zuma, argues Vukani Mde.
Figures from the Debt Counsellors Association of SA shows a more than 50% increase in the number of consumers applying for debt review over the last 18 months. That shocking bit of news will weigh heavily on Finance Minister Nhlanlha Nene as he prepares his Budget Speech for next week.
The Constitutional Court is being asked today to compel Parliament to pass legislation forcing political parties to disclose their sources of funding. The case is being brought by My Vote Counts which argues that the Constitution guarantees the public's right to information needed to exercise its rights.
Nigeria has pushed ahead of South Africa as Africa's largest economy, but political tensions are at fever pitch. The government this weekend announced it was delaying presidential elections for six weeks, giving the army time to snap the neck of Boko Haram.
The resignation of SARS' controversial head of investigations, Johann van Loggerenberg, could see several tax cases he was investigating come under review. This could be good news for Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir and other alleged wrong-doers.
Proposed amendments to the 2013 Financial Services Laws Genertal Amendment Act read, in parts, like a masterpiece in economic illiteracy. It is a free lunch fantasy where reductions in consumer freedom, dressed up as industry regulation, yield bountiful blessings at zero cost.
Black liquidators are demanding answers from the Reserve Bank after it objected to the appointment of two black liquidators in the Pietermaritzburg High Court. An association of black liquidators wants to know the real reason behind the Reserve Bank's apparently racial preference in this matter.
What's behind the suspenion of Hawks chief Anwa Dramat? Was it his supposedly illegal rendition of four Zimbabweans to their home country where two of them subsequently died at the hands of the police? Or was it his investigation into President Zuma's Nkandla palace, built with public money? Or something else?
Two trademark cases came before the courts last year, illuminating some interesting aspects of trademark law. Two companies using the name Roberston - the name of the area in the Western Cape where the businesses are located - battled it out for the right to use this name. Then Kit-Kat had a go at a rather similar looking product.
President Jacob Zuma told the World Economic Forum in Davos last week that SA was a "country at work". Well, not quite. In fact, we compare miserably with other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and there is no real enthusiasm in government for reversing this trend.
The Department of Trade and Industry is likely to miss the target for the implementation of new BEE Codes scheduled for May 2015. This could result in those companies with a turnover of more than R10 million becoming non-compliant when evaluated.
Has the ANC in Gauteng fudged the e-tolls investigation it completed last year? Judging by its efforts to bring in a "hybrid" form of tolling, the answer is yes. The DA has now called for a referendum into the future of the blighted e-tolls system.The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Acts Online. Acts Online accepts no responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the article, nor does the information contained herein constitute advice, legal or otherwise.
