Budget 2023
Share

'Sinners' dear to Gordhan’s heart

accreditation

Cape Town – Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan tried to lift the gloomy mood of a tough budget by joking that he has "not forgotten” about the smokers and drinkers, who are "very dear to our hearts".

But what his words in actual fact meant when he addressed the press before his Budget Speech in the National Assembly was that South Africans will in future pay more for these little pleasures.

Maybe he really just wanted to get back at the journalists sitting in front of him.

As expected however, and has become tradition, the so-called sin taxes - that is, the excise duty on tobacco and alcohol - have been hiked in the budget. Since 2002 these sin taxes have consistently been above the inflation rate and the Budget Review proposes that the increases remain at between 8% and 9.5%.

CALCULATE HOW MUCH MORE YOU'LL HAVE TO PAY FOR YOUR SINS

Smokers will pay R1.06 more for a packet of 20 cigarettes, pipe tobacco will cost 40 cents more for 25 grams and cigars R6.58 more for 23 grams.

As far as drinks are concerned, it seems Gordhan and the Treasury want to stress hard work ahead rather than celebrations because the price of sparkling wine carries the biggest hike, with an increase of 70c for a bottle of 750 ml.

A 340 ml can of beer, or of cider and alcoholic fruit beverages, will cost 12c more, a bottle of fortified wine 26c more and a 750 ml bottle of spirits R4.43 more.

Together with the increase of 30 cents per litre in the fuel tax, the hike in excise duties on alcohol and tobacco will bring in an additional R5.1bn for state coffers in 2017/18.

* Visit our Budget Special for all the budget news and in-depth analysis.

Read Fin24's top stories trending on Twitter:


We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.97
-0.1%
Rand - Pound
24.08
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.61
-0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.37
+0.4%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.5%
Platinum
906.50
-1.8%
Palladium
1,010.52
+0.4%
Gold
2,157.07
-0.2%
Silver
24.99
-0.2%
Brent Crude
86.89
+1.8%
Top 40
66,032
-0.3%
All Share
72,214
-0.3%
Resource 10
53,305
-0.0%
Industrial 25
99,838
-0.6%
Financial 15
16,604
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders