Publish What You Pay National Coordinator in South Africa Tafadzwa Kuvheya published this article focusing on “five areas that are critical to the discourse of tax justice in South Africa”.
“Apartheid’s ugly head has not been completely cut off over two decades after South Africa’s independence, introduces Tafadzwa Kuvheya. The legacy of apartheid together with the present government’s governance style, are the major causes of inequality in South Africa. What is more appalling about this situation is that the inequality gap continues to widen. Oxfam in their research says South Africa is deeply unequal with the rich getting richer and the poor poorer”.
She proposes to focus on the following areas:
- Domestic Resource Mobilisation
- Fighting Inequality
- Improving the levels and quality of public service delivery
- Accountability
- Improvement of Social Protection
“South Africa is acknowledged as the leader and an innovator in social development in the global South, Kuvheya continues. However, the implementation of social development policies has not been seamless. Corruption is widely reported at different levels in government. In the welfare field, this is significant in the administration of the social grants system.
It is undeniable that the scars of apartheid still run deep and the poor governance only adds salt to the wounds. Without tax justice, it is difficult to achieve a South Africa where the marginalized groups can benefit equitably from the wealth of the country. The South African government needs to prioritize pro-poor development plans, fight corruption and promote transparency”.