DA takes fuel tax fight to Parliament, on 15 June

7 June 2022

In the DA’s fight to lower the fuel for all South Africans, we have achieved a major concession today.

Parliament has agreed to urgently debate the DA’s demand for the ANC government to slash fuel prices, by cutting the exorbitant 33% tax on fuel.

We will use this debate in Parliament to formally table our workable, and practical solutions which will cut more than R6 tax and levies from every litre of fuel.

In late May the DA set out simple demands to the ANC Government that would have dramatically slashed the fuel price, yet the ANC Government chose not to act. The ANC Government has done nothing to slash the fuel price, and has instead only effected a very short term R1.50 discount, which expires in a few weeks.

The DA’s simple and workable demands, to permanently lower fuel prices, and slash fuel taxes include:

1. De-regulate the fuel price, and let fuel providers compete on price to drive down the price,

2. End the general fuel levy of more than R4 per litre, which is nothing more than a donation to the corruption slush fund at Treasury,

3. Exempt all fuel users who already pay for insurance, from the R2.18 per litre Road Accident Fund levy.

The DA openly calls on all Parties in Parliament to stand together, and support this motion. The DA calls on all Parties in Parliament to unite around this motion to show care for South Africans buckling under the price of fuel.

A petition which the DA has run over the past two weeks has already garnered 127 000 signatures, and the number is fast growing. This shows that the South African public is outraged at the exorbitant fuel price, and roundly rejects the outrageous taxes on fuel, and this provides a compelling steer to the members of Parliament in this debate.

The ball is now in the court of Parliament, and the Parties in Parliament, to do right by the people of South Africa.

The sitting of Parliament is scheduled for 15 June 2022.

Issued by Kevin Mileham, DA Shadow Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, 7 June 2022