Turnover and payroll levies: An unexploited source of regional economic data

Abstract

Detailed regional economic data detailing past and current patterns of growth are needed to determine regional and local comparative advantages of geographical shifts in economic activity within regions and cities. The level of government between local and provincial government provides a potential source of such data, as it has been collecting levies based on the turnover and payrolls of all formal businesses throughout South Africa since 1994. The authors have utilised the database of one such body, now known as the Umgungundlovu Municipality, to prepare detailed real-time-series for the period January 1994 to January 2001. Comparisons with regional data supplied by the DBSA have established the reliability of such data, and the turnover and wage bill series were then used to provide economic analyses of a geographical and sectoral nature.