Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) secretary-general Floyd Shivambu lams ANC and Finance Minister Godongwana over VAT hike plans, calling it 'attempted murder.' MK Party celebrates VAT rollback, asserting it was the only party to reject the proposal.
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uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) secretary general Floyd Shivambu has claimed that the MK Party is solely responsible for the government's decision to reverse the proposed Value Added Tax (VAT) increase.
Speaking to supporters outside former President Jacob Zuma’s court appearance on Thursday, Shivambu declared that there would be no VAT increase in South Africa, attributing this outcome to the MK Party’s firm opposition to the proposal.
This follows Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s announcement to scrap the proposed 0.5% VAT increase, which was scheduled to take effect on May 1. As a result, VAT will remain at 15%.
According to a statement released by the National Treasury on Wednesday night, the reversal followed broad consultations with political parties and a thorough review of recommendations from parliamentary committees.
The scrapping of the VAT hike has sparked a political tug-of-war, with multiple parties attempting to claim credit for halting the increase, despite varied levels of actual resistance.
Shivambu, however, accused the African National Congress (ANC) and other political parties of entertaining the idea of a VAT hike, insisting that the MK Party was the only one to reject it outright.
“There is no longer VAT that is going to be increased—whether it's 0.5%, 0.1%, or even 2%. There is no VAT increase, and that is because of uMkhonto weSizwe,” Shivambu said.
“It is only uMkhonto weSizwe that said no to the VAT increase.”
He further alleged that while other parties engaged in talks with the ANC, the MK Party chose to mobilise directly on the ground.
“We do not want any VAT increase. It's only uMkhonto that went to the streets to reject the VAT increase because we know you cannot win in the courtroom what you have not won on the ground,” he said.
Shivambu also called for the immediate resignation of Finance Minister Godongwana, accusing him of “attempted murder” for proposing the VAT increase.
“Comrades, we as uMkhonto weSizwe must demand that the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, resign with immediate effect. What he did was attempted murder. The attempt to increase VAT is a criminal offence,” he said.
Moreover, Shivambu announced that if the MK Party comes to power, it plans to reduce VAT from 15% back to 14%.
“When the MK Party takes over, we are taking it back to 14%, because that is where VAT is supposed to be and nothing else,” he said.
hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za
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