How taxes are killing South Africa’s economy

Loading player...
With value-added tax (VAT) hikes, rising income tax burdens, and thousands of non-compliant taxpayers, has South Africa’s economy reached its tax tipping point?

In this episode of Money, Markets, and Masterminds, Citywire South Africa and Keith Engel, CEO of the South African Institute of Taxation, break down the true impact of government tax policies. We explore whether the country is pushing past the top of the Laffer Curve, how tax complexity is strangling businesses, and the economy, and why endless hikes might do more harm than good.

Is the government collecting enough—or just wasting more? Engel exposes tax loopholes, compliance failures, and the risks of squeezing businesses too hard. With practical solutions and bold insights, this episode uncovers what needs to change in South Africa’s tax system before it’s too late.
14 Mar 2025 English South Africa Investing

Other recent episodes

Advisers should not get distracted by the wrong things - DFM CEO

In this episode of Money, Markets, and Masterminds, Cogence CEO and CIO Jonel Matthee-Ferreira explains advisers risk making poor decisions if they react to short-term volatility instead of staying focused on long-term outcomes. She further unpacks the firm’s move into private markets for retail investors, arguing that access to unlisted…
23 Mar 24 min

Why markets are trading the wrong war

Markets are reacting to missiles and oil spikes, but what if that is exactly where investors go wrong? In the first 2026 episode of the Long Game series, Adrian Saville, investment strategist and professor of economics and finance at GIBS, unpacks why the real drivers of returns sit far beyond…
20 Mar 30 min

FSCA’s frontline warning to pension fund trustees

In episode two of the Regulatory Rulebook series, Takalani Lukhaimane, who leads the Financial Sector Conduct Authority's Retirement Funds Frontline Conduct Supervision team, highlights where boards are falling short - from section 13A breaches to weak oversight and rising unclaimed benefits. She points to persistent red flags, including superficial minutes,…
23 Feb 27 min

How this DFM engineers portfolios when markets lose their nerve

When markets panic, most investors react. Discretionary fund managers are meant to do the opposite. In this episode of Money, Markets, and Masterminds, Philip Bradford, chief investment officer at PortfolioMetrix Asset Management, explains how his team constructs portfolios built to withstand volatility rather than chase trends. From managing concentration risk…
11 Feb 20 min

Why top DFMs would rather miss rallies than lose clients

In this episode of Money, Markets, and Masterminds, Analytics Multi-Manager CIO Daniel Schoeman argues that the real test of a fund manager comes during periods of stress and underperformance, when philosophy, process and decision-making discipline are exposed. He explains why diversified portfolios are intentionally designed to avoid extreme drawdowns, even…
29 Jan 18 min