Current Edition >> Archives Section >> Spot Coverage >> March 2003

Entrepreneurs trek voordeel uit Begroting

Armoede verligting deur ekonomiese groei is 'n uitstaande kenmerk van die begroting. Deur aan individue die afgelope twee jaar byna R30 miljard se belasting verligting toe te staan, gee Suid-Afrikaners se besteebare inkomste 'n hupstoot. Die toename in besteebare inkomste kan die vraagkant van die ekonomie stimuleer wat weer 'n verhoging in produksie kan meebring. Die vraag wat egter by almal bestaan, is of daar genoeg gedoen word om die werkloosheidsprobleem aan te spreek wat na skatting in die omgewing van 30% is. Die kleinsake-sektor bly steeds die sektor waardeur die probleem die beste aangespreek kan word.

Mnr. Trevor Manual, Minister van Finansies, het dan ook verkeie maatreëls aangekondig wat tot voordeel van entrepreneurs en werkskepping in dié sektor kan dien:

• 'n Toegelate dubbelaftrekking tot 'n maksimum van R20 000 vir die aanvangskoste van 'n kleinsake-onderneming.
• Sedert verlede jaar betaal kleinsake-ondernemings op die eerste R150 000 van belasbare inkomste slegs 15% belasting. Die vereiste vir 'n kleinsake-onderneming wat hiervoor kwalifiseer, is vergroot van 'n omset van R3 miljoen per jaar tot 'n omset van R5 miljoen per jaar.
• Die entrepreneur kan nou ook produksietoerusting as volg afskryf: 40% aan die einde van die eerste jaar en vir die volgende drie jaar 20% ('n Tydelike reëling wat nou permanent is).
• Kleinsake-ondernemings word ook gehelp om ou masjinerie te vervang. Indien 'n afgeskryfde bate wat teen 'n nul-waarde in die boeke staan verkoop en deur 'n nuwe vervang word, word die bedrag wat vir die ou bate verkry is as 'n inkomste beskou. Die inkomste word nie onmiddellik belas nie, maar word belas oor dieselfde tydperk as wat die vervangende bate afgeskryf word.
• Ad valorem aksynsbelasting op rekenaartoerusting word op 1 April 2003 afgeskaf. Geen sake-onderneming kan vandag meer sonder hierdie toerusting funksioneer nie. Die afskaffing van die belasting kan 'n verdere voordeel vir sakelui wees wat toerusting wil aankoop.

Thabo Mofutsanyana : Business prospects

The versatile Eastern Free State has lately come to the fore as a region with exceptional business and investment potentail. Apart from the review appearing in this regard in this edition, The Business Bulletin also approached the Executive Mayor of the principal local government of the region, the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality Clr Mathokoana Mopeli, for her views :

What, in a nutshell, is your Municipality doing as regards local economic development ? To drive our policy implementation process purposefully, we have recently appointed a Strategic Manager for LED and Tourism. The IDP (integrated development plan) has been approved and annual reviews are underway. In the IDP we prioritized tourism, agriculture, industrial and broad economic development. We have concluded a memorandum of understanding with Eskom Enterprise within the MUCBP (Municipal and Utility Capacity Building Programme) to access expertise necessary for LED planning and project initiation. Futhermore, a delegation of three officials led by the Municipal Manager is currently on a business trip to Germany to promote tourism and establish bilateral trade relations. Infrastructure development will also bring much needed economic activity in the consultancy, construction and hardware industries.

Why invest in the Eastern Free State ? As a strong economic hub of its own, the Eastern Free State forms an inter-link and a gateway to the rest of the country. Our positioning geographically is both strategic and tactical in terms of markets and service providers. The climate and soil provide the ideal conditions for agricultural excellence. We grow wheat, maize, corn, potatoes, sunflower, beans, asparagus, apples, peaches, strawberries, etc., while we have the only notable cherry-producing conditions in the country except for the genetically produced. The skills base of our district is diversified and we manufacture hi-tech products like electrical circuit-breakers, medicines and many more. We dispose of manufacturing skills at management and worker level in the following fields: Furniture, textiles, canning, etc. As for retail investors: We boast of the second highest - if not the highest - consumer market in the Free State !
And most importantly, we are a peaceful and almost crime free enclave in South Africa.

Again in a nutshell, your message to residents of Thabo Mafutsanyana as far as economic development and job creation is concerned ? We are confident that we will arrest the situation of economic stagnation. The LED, IDP and MUCBP processes are soon to impact and projects flowing from this are to be labour intensive, BEE orientated and geared for sustainability. The activities of the CBPWP and CMIP will create more opportunities for business, as a result, jobs. Hopefully rural housing and urban renewal with the ISRDP and URP will also materialize soon. As the district municipality, we can only create conditions that encourage development. It's up to entrepreneurs to conceive business plans, open new businesses: shops, factories, offices, farms and many more. Our dispensation is the free market and so it must be.

Anything else to add at this forum ? We hope that our planning will influence key provincial processes like the Free State Development Plan. Priorities are community bound and need funding. Here we expect the Provincial government to invest convincingly. The Coega project in the Eastern Cape and Blue IQ in Gauteng seemed illusions of grandeur, but they lived up to the indomitability of the spirit of enterprise, determination and the will to change the lives of people for the better. Let us emulate these fine examples. Indeed success is dependent on our faith in what we have laid out as our objectives. Without such faith we cannot persuade potential investors. For me faith is infinite.