Business for SA (B4SA) is campaigning for the government, manufacturers, retailers and consumers to recognise that the growth of the illicit economy – at a similar rate to the legal economy – is a major problem. State capture weakened state entities; Covid-19 rules had the effect of fuelling illicit trade in tobacco, alcohol and other sectors. Listen to anti-crime and tax evasion activists share the granular detail of how businesses that operate outside the law are causing significant damage to the economy. – Jackie Cameron
Yusuf Abramjee on the key issues facing the SA economy:
We have to have an education process where we educate these traders to say, ‘if you’re selling cigarettes for under R20, you are breaking the law – you are not paying your taxes’. That is why I think the time has now come, for government to introduce a minimum price on items like a packet of cigarettes – maybe 30%, 35% or 40% more than the minimum collectible taxes.