April 3, 2013.
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Leandi Kolver.
Making headlines:

The South African Revenue Services exceeds its tax collection target of R810-billion during the 2012/13 financial year.

The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly approves a global arms trade treaty.

And, President Jacob Zuma rejects criticism of the South African National Defence Force mission in Central African Republic.

 

The South African Revenue Service collected R814.1-billion, and has reduced its debtors book, for the first time in its history during the 2012/13 financial year. The collected tax was R4-billion above the revised estimate provided in the February 2013 Budget.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said that the tax collector’s debtors book was reduced by R6-billion to R82.5-billion. The debtors book consists of all outstanding assessed tax debts for which payments are overdue.

The initial tax revenue target Gordhan set in the 2012 Budget was R826.4-billion, but this was revised downwards twice during the course of the fiscal year, as gross domestic product growth slowed, particularly during the last quarter of 2012. The final revision resulted in a target of R814.1-billion.

The total revenue for the year represented an increase of R71.5-billion over the previous financial year’s R742.6-billion. The three main revenue contributors for the year included personal income tax, where total collections amounted to R276.8-billion, compared with R251.3-billion for the previous financial year, and R2-billion above the Revised Estimate in the 2013 Budget.

 

The 193-nation United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved the first treaty on the global arms trade, which seeks to regulate the $70-billion business in conventional arms and keep weapons out of the hands of human rights abusers.

The National Rifle Association (or NRA), a powerful US pro-gun lobbying group that has opposed the treaty from the start, said it was a sad day for the US, which joined the vast majority of UN member states by voting for the pact.

Iran, Syria and North Korea cast the sole votes against the treaty. The same three states last week prevented a treaty-drafting conference at UN headquarters from reaching the required consensus to adopt the pact.

The official UN tally showed 154 votes in favor, three against 23 abstentions, though diplomats and UN officials said the actual vote was 155-3-22. They said Angola was recorded as having abstained, though it had attempted to vote yes.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the vote, saying the treaty "will help to keep warlords, pirates, terrorists, criminals and their like from acquiring deadly arms."

 

South African President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday defended his decision to send troops to Central African Republic saying 13 soldiers killed by rebels there had died fighting for Pretoria's foreign policy, not his party's business interests.

Zuma said the 200 troops sent in December were "heroes" sent to uphold South Africa's foreign policy and were protecting a deployment of military trainers sent in 2007 under a military cooperation agreement.

A South African newspaper last week said the ANC's investment arm, Chancellor House, was involved in a company called Inala Centrafrique set up in 2006 to buy diamonds from Central African Republic's small-scale artisanal miners. The ANC, however, dismissed the report as "blatant lies".

South Africa's opposition, meanwhile, is calling for a parliamentary investigation.

 

Also making headlines: 

World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim calls for a commitment by the international community to end extreme poverty by 2030.

The US wants to support the fight against al Qaeda in Mali.

South African Airways delivers a turnaround strategy that it committs to deliver before the end of March.

And, a survey shows that Africa offers the greatest growth opportunities for UK retailers.
 

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.