Guiding consumers since 2009

Government considers bid to encourage savings

22 Feb 2012

By Staff Writer

Finance minister Pravin Gordhan on Wednesday revealed the government’s bid to encourage voluntary savings in South Africa, consideration is being given to the introduction of tax-exempt short and medium-term savings products.

The proposal is that individuals should be permitted to save up to R30 000 a year, with a lifetime limit of R500 000, in registered savings or investment products that would be free of tax on interest, dividends or capital gains.

“The current tax free interest income thresholds will be reviewed and possibly phased out as part of this reform and dull details of the proposals can be found in the Budget Review,” said finance minister Pravin Gordhan.

Recent Articles

Featured How are you taxed on your retrenchment package?

Unemployment is one of the biggest problems in South Africa. The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation with a lot of companies retrenching their employees. When retrenched, you’ll receive a retrenchment package, but do you know how much tax you’re liable for?

Car repossessed – don’t be taken for a ride

When the country is facing an economic downturn, chances are your finances will feel the pinch. This can lead you to make bad financial decisions such as skipping your vehicle payments. But every decision has consequences and if you don’t pay your instalment, the bank will repossess your car. But what can you do when this happens?

Why you should consider gap cover

Your medical aid should protect you from incurring large medical bills when you’re sick. But what if your plan doesn’t cover the full cost of your medical expenses? We got in touch with insurance experts to find out whether gap cover is worth having.

Debt relief - What is your bank offering?

Going through a financial crisis is stressful whether it be as a result of losing your job, being short-paid, having to fork out towards an emergency payment, or finding yourself in the midst of a global pandemic. This is especially taxing if you have a debt to service. It is against this backdrop that banks are increasingly offering payment holidays. Justmoney looks at the various debt relief options available to you from the big five banks.