'Toll payment terms will cause cash flow disruptions'

Business Unity South Africa’s transport task group is meeting today (August 15) to consider further responses to the revised tariffs for the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project. In a statement issued on Friday, it welcomed the downward adjustments but said the lack of detail provided - as well as long-requested outstanding information in respect of the GFIP e-Toll project - made it impossible to respond in a comprehensive manner at this stage. “The e-tolling system will still introduce significant administrative and cost complexity for business that will be felt right across the spectrum, by the tourism industry, by manufacturers and by small business. The 7-day payment terms requirement still remains a worrying concern, as it will cause cash flow disruptions,” a spokesman said. The cost impact on fast-moving consumer goods, particularly basic foodstuffs, will still be felt most significantly by working and unemployed poor, according to Busa.