Tag: red tape

Another year on the Diddly Squat Farm and Jeremy is still knee-deep in mud and endless challenges... Welcome back to Clarkson's Farm. Since taking the wheel three years ago Jeremy's had his work cut out. And it's now clear from hard-won experience that, when it comes to farming, there's only one golden rule: "Whatever you hope will happen, won't".

At first, the response to government’s power moves, announced at last month’s Budget Speech, was overwhelmingly positive. Energy packages, which offered tax incentives for households and businesses to offset the steep financial toll of load shedding, were introduced.

The untapped potential of Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) in the country is astounding. However, the red tape placed on them is even more startling. In South Africa we wouldn’t stand for our national teams playing with their hands tied behind their back.

The Department of Minerals Resources and Energy (DMRE) has launched its plan for The South African liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market. It aims to grow the retail bottled gas market to reduce the pressure on electricity and to promote the domestic use of a healthier fuel, especially for heating and cooking.

On January 24th Minister Stella Ndabeni Abraham proudly told the public, “We have a responsibility to enforce regulatory compliance in the SMME (Small Micro Medium Enterprises) sector and close businesses that are trading illegally.”

The JSE has issued a consultation paper proposing changes to the Listings Regulations to cut red tape and achieve an effective, fit-for-purpose set of regulations for financial markets.

The global economy has been left winded and weak by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and governments the world over have a difficult task ahead. With the Minister of Finance delivering his much-anticipated 2021 National Budget this Wednesday (24 February 2021), one can’t help but reflect on what solutions need to be implemented to rebuild what was lost in 2020 because of the pandemic and years of low economic growth before then. Whatever the solutions, they need to be monumental and perhaps even radical in order to revive our economy.

When Finance Minister Tito Mboweni gives his Budget Speech for the 2019/20 tax year next week (20 February), I hope to hear examples of how the government will work towards boosting South Africa’s ranking in The World Bank's annual 'Doing Business Report'. Given that India climbed 23 positions in this year’s ranking and that South Africa ranked 32nd just a decade ago, this goal is highly achievable.