Madam Deputy Speaker, I suspect the only thing that we all have in common in this House is that we all pay taxes. The other thing that we have in common is that we bear the responsibility for implementing the principle of no taxation without representation. We operate in a difficult environment in which there are more benefit recipients than taxpayers. So, opposing a tax Bill is politically challenging, if not impossible.
This Bill has many flaws but a great deal has been done to improve those flaws during the committee process. One must acknowledge and thank the Treasury for the flexibility shown, not in accommodating political inputs, but the inputs from public participation. In that respect, a couple of things need to be noted.
I feel a personal disappointment in respect of the film industry. I say it is personal, because an assurance was given to me and to the hon George, in front of the chairman of the committee, that a provision that the film industry deems absolutely essential to its survival would be kept in the Bill. The film industry appeared before us and supported the provision, and they gave us a passionate presentation of what they defined as bias from Sars against the film industry.
For some reason and without explanation that provision which was benefiting the film industry was left out. When we inquired we were told it was an oversight and it would be brought back into the Bill. When it was not in the Bill, we were told that Treasury was still talking to the film industry. When we inquired further, we found out that that was not the truth. So it seems that the omission was very retaliatory, and that is not how the state should operate.
As regards missed opportunities, we feel that in this environment of recession, perhaps we should have looked at the fuel levy. We made that point in the committee meeting. It is a regressive tax and it is becoming increasingly regressive. This would have been the opportunity to scrap it. So, with these reservations the IFP supports the Bill. Thank you very much. [Time expired.]