A critical assessment of the capital gains tax as a fiscal policy tool for South Africa

Includes bibliographical references. ; This dissertation attempts to critically analyse the tax on capital gains as an addition to South Africa's fiscal framework. The method of the analysis involves the collation of international research on the effects of capital gains tax on the economies, financial markets, labour markets and revenue authorities of various countries. The focus is on the economic and fiscal areas directly relating to the long-term economic and fiscal policy goals of the South African government. These goals, as well as the justification given by the South African Department of Finance and the South African Revenue Service for the introduction of the capital gains tax are presented in the literature review section of this study. Research of international tax practices indicates that the taxing of capital gains has a depressive effect on capital formation, labour productivity, foreign and domestic direct investment, business creation, entrepreneurship and taxpayer equity. In addition, the introduction of such a tax has no proven growth effects on governmental revenue, and does not significantly dissuade tax avoidance schemes using arbitrage measures. By applying the globally observed effects of the capital gains tax to the long-term policy goals mentioned above, I conclude that the capital gains tax does not assist in the achievement of the economic and fiscal policy goals of the South African government, neither in the short- nor the long-term. Conversely, the capital gains tax acts as a countermeasure to the achievement of the said goals.