In today’s bulletin, we cover two major global developments. South Africa has abandoned its plan to raise VAT from May 1 following political opposition and concerns about coalition stability. The proposed 1% increase, to be implemented over two years, faced pushback from the ruling ANC and its coalition partner, the DA, and VAT will now remain at 15%. Meanwhile, China has returned U.S.-ordered Boeing aircraft in response to tariffs imposed by former President Trump. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg confirmed that two planes have already been sent back, with Chinese customers expected to cancel delivery of 50 more this year. Stay tuned for more updates on these evolving stories.
