‘Exempted from any further taxes’: Pensioners make bold demand

South Africans who spent their working lives paying tax believe retirement should come with a reward, and one commenter has called for a change that would put more money back in pensioners’ pockets.

The suggestion emerged during a lively debate about pensions on The South African’s Facebook page.

A clean break from tax

Jacques Burger proposed a bold solution. “If you retire after paying tax your whole working life you should be exempted from any further taxes,” he wrote.

His comment speaks to retirees who live on private pensions, retirement annuities or savings and still see tax deducted from that income. SARS already gives older taxpayers some relief through higher tax thresholds from age 65 and again from 75, but many retirees feel these concessions fall short when living costs keep climbing.

‘They paid their taxes’

Marianna De Bruin Schmidt backed the idea that older persons have already done their part. “I agree these pensioners paid their taxes so deserve to have a decent liveable pension,” she wrote.

Shantell Scheepers argued that seniors deserve far more than they currently receive: “In my opinion Seniors the eldery should have the full right to R6000.”

Their views highlight two groups of older South Africans who feel let down: those relying on private income who want lower taxes, and those depending on the Older Persons Grant, which increased to R2 400 per month from April 2026.

Working South Africans push back

Not everyone agreed. Simm Vuzi warned that someone must carry the cost. “No offence but who’s footing that bill, we’re already paying high taxes as it is,” he wrote.

Franza von Horsten asked: “Where will all the money come from?”

Their concern points to a hard truth. Every tax break for retirees and every grant increase shifts more of the burden onto a shrinking pool of working taxpayers.

The debate leaves government with a difficult balancing act: honouring the contribution of older South Africans while keeping the tax system fair for those still in the workforce.

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