General strike by Cosatu in October seems more likely

Labour unrest could become part of the price the South African economy might have to pay for the unfolding battle within the ranks of the country’s governing alliance. Unless relations between the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) and its ally, the African National Congress (ANC) as leader of the ruling alliance, improve dramatically in the immediate to near future, the country could face a crippling general strike by October of this year.

Read more: Labour unrest threatens

The Budget as a service to the taxpayer

The South African taxpayer is still bruised and not yet recovered from the recession, and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan wisely realised that it would not be in the interest of the economy to squeeze an extra few billion out of empty pockets that in the end are providing jobs for those who are clinging to it for dear life, writes Hein Kruger, financial markets analyst and managing director of Kruger International Wealth Management, as well as author of "Budgeting".

Read more: Budget 2010

Do we really need estate duty?

While it is unlikely that the current ANC government will have the political will to abolish estate duty as levied under the Estate Duty Act, 45 of 1955, it does not detract from the fact that – as a source of revenue for the fiscus – it has become completely obsolete. The revenue estimate for the 2010 fiscal year for estate duty and donations tax together is less than R1 billion out of expected revenue of around R600bn. In fact, at the moment estate duty probably does more harm than good to the country, writes Louis van Vuren, head of Personal Fiduciary Services at BoE Trust Ltd.

Read more: Tax matters

Largest growing economic force and a threat

New global research released by the United States-based Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has revealed that women are increasingly defining the entrepreneurial economy and will create 70% of the global growth in income at the household level over the next five years. At executive level, however, they still lag behind. But the economic rise of women can also pose a threat to the economy.

Read more: Woman power

Changes to travel allowance could clamp travelling

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) have been making significant changes in order to increase their reserves and tighten up on unnecessary costs. Some of the changes are directly related to travel allowances, with changes to the percentage excluded from PAYE and with log books being made compulsory for every-one.

Read more: New tax rules