Gauteng e-toll debt: Are people still liable in 2024?
The deputy director-general of public finance for the National Treasury said Gauteng will be collecting e-toll debt from motorists.
Anyone who receives a summons to pay e-toll debt in 2024 will have the full support of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA). This is the sentiment from its CEO Wayne Duvenhage following Gauteng’s perceived about-face on the topic, reports Times Live.
Earlier in the week, the deputy director-general of public finance for the National Treasury said Gauteng will be collecting e-toll debt from motorists. OUTA has since rubbished the sentiment, saying SANRAL is in charge of such collection, not the Gauteng provincial government.
E-TOLL DEBT IN 2024
Making e-toll debt in 2024 more confusing is the fact that SANRAL stopped issuing summonses back in 2019. Since finance minister Enoch Godongwana announced the end of e-tolls back in 2022, it seems no one has been on same page. Initially, Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi announced R6.9 billion would be refunded to anyone who paid e-tolls. However, that statement has since been rescinded.
The process of switching off e-tolls is set to commence on 31 March 2024, with the provincial government agreeing to pay R12 billion towards e-toll debt in 2024. OUTA’s Duvenhage has since accused government of being indecisive and incapable of implementing its own policies. “Between SANRAL, premier Lesufi, minister Godongwana and the department of transport, it seems nobody knows what is really going on with finalising the e-toll debacle,” concluded Duvenhage.
DEFEND ALL MOTORISTS
Duvenage confirmed every motorist who received a summons from SANRAL for outstanding e-toll debt in 2024 could count on OUTA for support. Since 2019, it has defended more than 2 000 cases, amounting to a total value of more than R262 million. Get in touch with the organisation HERE for assistance.
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