Court dismisses EFF’s bid to halt fuel levy increase

By Alessandro Parodi and Sfundo Parakozov

South Africa’s high court on Tuesday dismissed a case brought by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party aimed at blocking a fuel tax increase proposed in last month’s budget, a party spokesperson told Reuters.

The far-left opposition party had argued that the measure would disproportionately affect the country’s poor and that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana did not follow proper parliamentary process in introducing it.

The 4% increase in the levy South Africans pay on petrol and diesel will now kick in on Wednesday.

In court papers Godongwana said he had the right to raise the fuel levy and that the EFF’s case appeared aimed at blocking passage of the budget, which he has already revised twice due to disagreements in the coalition government.

Godongwana said that if the court had blocked the tax increase, it would have led to a revenue shortfall of at least 3.5