Wits Business School in partnership with FTI Consulting presented an informative talk chaired by Professor Roderick Crompton.
Carbon taxes on petrol and diesel were introduced on 5 June, 2019 and form part of government’s efforts to deal with climate change. The taxes (9c/l for petrol and 10c/l for diesel) are based on the “polluter pays” principle and are intended to allow South Africa to meet its 2015 Paris Agreement commitments.
This initiative, however, has faced criticism from several quarters, with suggestions that the taxes will push up transport costs and consumer prices, as well as hamper an already struggling economy. Others have referred to them as “too little too late”.
Wits Business School’s African Energy Leadership Center (AELC) has invited four expert panelists to share their views on this development. They are: Dr Bob Scholes, Distinguished Professor of Systems Ecology at the University of the Witwatersrand; Christopher Axelson, Chief Director Economics Tax Analysis Unit, National Treasury; Kevin Baart, Head: Strategic Projects SAPIA; and Liesl de Wet, Consultant to Road Freight Association.
