South Africans earning over R35,000 per month are encountering an escalating financial crisis, marked by increasing debt and other challenges.  Despite improvements in the broader economy, many high-income earners are still overwhelmed by debt. Debt counselling inquiries increased by 6%, while online debt management requests surged 10% compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, the National Treasury will consider the possibility of a wealth tax once it has analyzed the data that the South African Revenue Service (SARS) is collecting on high-net-worth individuals. Lerato Mbele spoke to Billy Joubert, senior associate director for tax at Deloitte Africa and, Thokozile Madonko, political economist and research at the southern centre for inequality studies at Wits university.