On Friday, 29 March 2019 the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) adopted the Carbon Tax Bill (the Bill) in its last sitting ahead of the national elections. This wraps up the Parliamentary process. The Bill will now be referred to the President.

The President may assent to and sign the Bill in which case South Africa's long-awaited carbon tax will be brought into effect on 1 June 2019, as expected. There is an off-chance that the President will not assent to the Bill and may refer the Bill back to Parliament.

Although we expect that the President will assent to the Bill, it must be appreciated that the proposed carbon tax is contentious and this may weigh heavily on the President in the lead-up to the elections. We will continue to monitor the progress of the Bill and update clients on any developments in the legislative process.

A summary of the Bill in its current form is available here.

Written by Gillian Niven and Nirvasha Singh, Webber Wentzel