TAU South Africa unmoved by budget

There was nothing in Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's budget speech for farmers to get excited about, agricultural union TAU SA said on Wednesday.

The increased fuel tax of 28 cents per litre would mean farmers would cross-subsidise projects unrelated to farming through fuelling their farming equipment, such as tractors and harvesters, which "are never even seen on a public road", the union's president Louis Meintjes said in a statement.

Taxis were exempt from paying the Gauteng tolls, to be introduced in April, while farmers were expected to pay full price.

This meant it would cost farmers more to transport their goods to markets. Even though alternative routes were expected to be restored, Meintjies said this would take a long time.

"Agriculture has thus essentially nothing to be excited [about] from the budget."

The increase in capital gains tax for companies to 66% would be "disastrous" for farmers as most were structured as companies.

"If the pressure continues on farmers to sell their land in terms of land reform, they then have a tremendous amount of capital gains tax to pay."

Meintjes said this would make it "impossible" for them to buy new land.

Although R1.9 billion was set aside for the agriculture department and the Land Bank, very little of this would benefit commercial farmers as the majority would go to emergent farmers, he said.