e-tolls

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has slammed the South African National Roads Agency Limited's (SANRAL) legal strategy to issue summonses to motorists who have failed to pay their e-tolls.

The civil action organisation, known for its opposition to e-tolls, says SANRAL employed attorneys with ‘virtual offices’ in contravention of Magistrates Court rules.

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) says the 10-day extension of a 60 percent discount offer on outstanding e-toll debt is to be expected.
 
OUTA says the South African National Roads Agency Limited’s (SANRAL) “recent legal summonsing of a few handpicked e-toll defaulters” – which it describes as an attempt to spook the public - appeared to have failed.
 

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) says it doubts claims by road authorities that 300 000 people had taken up the e-toll discount dispensation of 60 percent.
 
OUTA chairperson, Wayne Duvenage, says: “Anything short of R2.5 billion collected or committed for collection, will still mean the system will have only pushed compliance up to roughly 50 percent.”
 

Organisation Uniting Against Tax Abuse (OUTA) says it has enough money to assist its members sued for outstanding e-tolls.
 
OUTA chairperson, Wayne Duvenhage, says the organisation gets contributions from ‘thousands of people’ and ‘hundreds of businesses’ every month and has set money aside for e-toll litigation.
 
Duvenhage would however not disclose the amount, because he fears the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL), fighting with taxpayers’ money, would stretch out the legal process in an effort to deplete OUTA’s funds.
 

Civil society group, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), is standing by its report that the cost of upgrading Gauteng freeways was grossly overpriced at R17 billion.

This comes after the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) accused OUTA of misleading the public in a position paper that said the money spent on upgrading Gauteng freeways was inflated at the expense of taxpayers.

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) says that letters of final demand have been sent to Gauteng motorists who have boycotted paying their e-toll fees.

The anti-toll body says it was informed that road agency SANRAL has started serving people with letters demanding payment.

The stresses that, “We would like to highlight that letters of final demand should not be confused with a summons, as it is a low commitment step that does not officially initiate legal proceedings.”

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) says that letters of final demand have been sent to Gauteng motorists who have boycotted paying their e-toll fees.

The anti-toll body says it was informed that road agency SANRAL has started serving people with letters demanding payment.

The stresses that, “We would like to highlight that letters of final demand should not be confused with a summons, as it is a low commitment step that does not officially initiate legal proceedings.”

The latest tactic adopted by the South African Roads Agency (SANRAL) of appointing a debt collection firm to ‘hound’ people for payment of e-tolls could well backfire on it‚ Justice Project South Africa (JPSA) cautions.

The organisation joins the Automobile Association (AA) and the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) – formerly known as the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance – in condemning threatening SMS messages being sent to motorists.

The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (OUTA) says newspaper reports that the “e-toll scheme is on the brink of collapse” vindicates its position that the “user-pays scheme was always questionable.”
 
The organisation warns that a new “60 percent discounted dispensation‚ in attempt to hoodwink the public to come on board”‚ is also likely to fail.
 

The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (OUTA) says that it is too easy for the African National Congress (ANC) to ‘finger out’ the SA National Roads Agency’s (SANRAL) chief executive officer, Nazir Alli, as its scapegoat over Gauteng’s e-tolls debacle.
 
OUTA chairperson, Wayne Duvenage, argues that, “Government’s ministers and director generals are far too hasty in their acceptance of major capital expenditure projects, and do not go to the required lengths to double check the claims, data and research presented to them.”