Municipalities suffer as state owes R18.6bn in rates and taxes

Last year, deputy president Paul Mashatile promised cash-strapped municipalities government would provide debt relief mounting to billions. According to National Treasury’s 2024 Budget Review, 72 applications were made by municipalities for debt relief by December 2023.“For the debt to be written off in equal annual tranches over three years, municipalities need to comply with set conditions. The conditions include enforcing strict credit controls, paying monthly electricity accounts and enhancing revenue collection. “By December 2023, 72 applications had been submitted,…