DA warns VAT hike can’t be stopped without parliamentary approval

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says the VAT hike will proceed as planned on 1 May, arguing that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana cannot unilaterally reverse it without legislation approved by Parliament.

The party marks Freedom Day in Mitchells Plain on the Cape Flats and expresses confidence that its legal challenge against the VAT reversal will succeed if no parliamentary legislation is in place to support the decision.

The party wants the Western Cape High Court to specifically issue an order to stop the VAT increase.

“Parliament has approved the fiscal framework and as it stands, the VAT increase will continue on the 1st of May. No minister or body can unilaterally decide that they are stopping it. It must be a process through parliament or through the courts, so we have submitted supplementary affidavits because we are seeking legal clarity,” says the DA’s federal chairperson, Dr. Ivan Meyer.

📸 Watch DA’s Dr Ivan Meyer LIVE from Lentegeur, Western Cape, as we commemorate Freedom Day!

Where the DA governs, we are delivering real freedom and opportunities. Watch here: https://t.co/FKVP64TVso#FreedomDay #DAatWork pic.twitter.com/JLf4CctFtY

— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) April 27, 2025