SA’s tax revolt is already underway, says economist

I can tell you that the tax burden is very heavy on a very, very narrow tax base in South Africa. When we look at the country’s tax burden, what is our tax-to-GDP (gross domestic product) ratio and what does it tell us about the tax burden in trying to understand it. Now, state expenditure as a percentage of GDP is approximately 32%, while state revenue or tax burden is just below 30%, at 28%, 29%. But compared to, say, the advanced countries like the rich world, South Africa’s tax burden is actually on the low side. So yes, without a doubt, people are very unhappy about the tax burden.