South African investment incentives

The South African government, particularly the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, has a range of incentives available to investors, existing companies, entrepreneurs and co-operatives across many sectors.

South Africa wishes to diversify its economy a nd incentives are an important part of t he strategy to attract investors to the country.

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) is the lead agency in the incentives programme, which aims to encourage lo cal and foreign investment into targeted economic sectors, but the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is the most influential funder of projects across South Africa.

Th e re are a variety of incentives available and these incentives can broadly be categorised according to the stage of project development:

• C onceptualisation of the project – including feasibility studies and research and develop- ment (grants for R&D and feasibility studies, THRIP, Stp, etc)

• C apital expenditure – involving the creation or expansion of the productive capacity of businesses (MCEP, EIP, CIP, FIG, etc)

• Competitiveness enhancement – involving the introduction of efficiencies and whetting the competitive edge of established companies and commercial or industrial sectors (BBSDP, EMIA, CTCIP, etc)

• S ome of the incentives are sector-specific, for example the Aquaculture Development and Enhancement Programme (ADEP), Clothing and Textile Competitiveness Improvement Programme (CTCIP) and the Tourism Support Programme (TSP).

Key components of the incentive programme are the Manufacturing Incentive Programme (MIP) and the Manufacturing Competitiveness Enhancement Programme (MCEP). The initial MCEP, launched in 2012, was so successful that it was oversubscribed with almost 890 businesses receiving fundin g. A second phase of the programme was launched in 2016. The gran ts are not handouts as th e funding covers a maximum of 50% of the cost of the investment, with the remaind er to be sourced elsewhere.

The Enterprise Investment Programme (EIP) makes targeted grants to stimulate and promote investment, BEE and employment creation in the manufacturing an d tourism sectors. Aimed at smaller companies, the maximum grant is R30million. Specific tax deductions are permissible for larger companies investing in the manufacturing sector under Section 12i of the Income Tax Act.

Other incentives available to investors and existing businesses in more than one sector include the:

• Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP)

• Support Programme for Industrial Innovation (SPII)

• Black Business Supplier Development Programme (BBSDP), which is a cost-sharing grant offered to black-owned small enterprises

• Critical Infrastructure Programme (CIP) that covers between 10% and 30% of the total development costs of qualifying infrastructure

• C o-operative Incentive Scheme, which is a 90:10 matching cash grant for registered primary co-operatives

• S ector Specific Assistance Scheme, which is a reimbursable 80:20 cost-sharing grant that can be applied for by export councils, joint action groups and industry associations.

A lot of emphasis is placed on the potential role of small, medium and micro enterprises in job creation and a number of incentives are design-

Investments in infrastructure can attract rebates. The Highveld Industrial Park hosts factories in different sectors.

Many incentives are available to support small businesses and startups. Established businesses are encouraged to support smaller entities along their supply chain. Credit: Seda

PG Bison are investing heavily in expanding manufacturing capacity. Credit: PG Bison ed to promote the growth of these businesses. These include:

• Small Medium Enterprise Development Programme (SMEDP)

• Isivande Women’s Fund

• Seda Technology Programme (Stp).

• Seda is the Small Enterprise Development Agency, an agency of the Department of Small Business Development that exists to promote SMMEs.

The Export Marketing and Investment Assistance (EMIA) Scheme includes support for local businesses that wish to market their businesses internationally to potential importers and investors. The scheme offers financial assistance to South Africans travelling or exhibiting abroad as well as for inbound potential buyers of South African goods. ■

Department of Trade, Industry and Competition: www.thedtic.gov.za

Industrial Development Corporation: www.idc.co.za

Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency: www.mega.gov.za

Official South African government incentive schemes: www.investmentincentives.co.za