Legal expert Alex Magaisa says Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube should have apologised to the nation after the High Court ruled that his unpopular 2 per cent tax is illegal.
Instead of apologising, Ncube shows the usual arrogance of the government’s disdain of the rule of law. Writes Magaisa:
The Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube exhibits the usual arrogance of a regime which has no regard for the rule of law.
He does not acknowledge the fact that the High Court found him on the wrong side of the law. No apology. Instead, he waves it away as if it were a nuisance.
He is only interested in telling people that the tax is valid, even though following the judgment he breached the law between October and January when the legislation was enacted.
He thinks retrospective legislation is good law; that you can take money illegally and fix it later.
But there is a lot more that’s wrong with the Minister’s standpoint it deserves more detailed analysis.
The provision of the Act that he’s relying on is now moribund. If he thinks he can rely on SI 33 of 2019, he’s wrong because it expired last month. I will find time for it.
