Covid-19 Business Watch: Is SA’s carbon tax working?

With the Carbon tax having come into effect in June 2019 we are now two years into the regime. The issue is now on the government's radar, with President Cyril Ramaphosa writing in Business Day that SA will engage countries at the COP26 climate conference scheduled for November and at the World Trade Organization on the issue of carbon tax import penalties and the phasing out of fossil fuels to get a fair deal for the developing world. In addition, local firms and the government may soon find funding less available and more expensive as investors begin to price in environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk when allocating capital. Investment firms are preparing by taking a stronger stance on ESG issues when making investments. Michael Avery is joined by Eckart Zollner, Head of Business Development at EDS; Tyrone Hawkes, Vice President of Sustainability and Business Development at Sappi; Kevin Tarr-Graham, General Manager for the SA office at NUS Consulting Group and Joslin Lydall, Divisional Manager at Catalyst Solutions to talk about the impact the tax is having in South African companies