South African taxpayers may have to fork out close to R800 million a year to support the African Union (AU), the Sunday Times reported.

The African Union consists of 54 countries in Africa, and was established on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa and launched on 9 July 2002 in South Africa.

The African Union heads of state are currently meeting in Sandton, and according to the Sunday Times are set to adopt a new funding model.

This new model will see South Africa’s contribution to the AU increase from $17 million to $64 million per year (R792 million).

According to the Sunday Times, the proposed funding model includes a levy on international flights from Africa, a hospitality levy for the hotel industry, and an SMS tax for cellphone users.

The full report is available in the 14 June 2015 edition of the Sunday Times.

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