Registered taxpayers increase

By Jurina Nkwazi
24 January 2011

According to the South African Institute of Race Relations the total number of registered individual taxpayers in South Africa grew from 3.4 million in 2002/03 to 5.9 million in 2009/10.

The Institute’s Marius Roodt, said, “The increase in the number of individual tax payers was good news. ‘At the same time, however, wastage and corruption within the Government and its various departments are a cause for concern, and there is no guarantee that revenue is spent wisely.”

Roodt added that although the total contribution of personal income tax payers was the single highest, it contributed only a third of total revenue that the Government received from tax.

Companies registered for tax grew from 815 000 in 2002/03 to 1.9 million in 2009/10.

Whereas Trusts grew from 255 000 in 2002/03 to 332 000 in 2009/10.

Employers registered for pay-as-you-earn tax grew from 253 000 to 396 000 between 2002/03 and 2009/10, an increase of 57% and Value-added-tax grew from 506 000 in 2002/03 to 686 000 in 2009/10.