All eyes on Godongwana’s third budget attempt
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s third attempt at tabling the Budget will be heard on Wednesday afternoon.
It comes after the scrapping of controversial plans last month to raise VAT to 15.5 per cent.
Civil society groups and unions, under the banner People Against Budget Cuts, raised concerns about how austerity measures are impacting communities in a briefing in Cape Town on Wednesday.
Political activist Allan Boesak said budget cuts have gutted public services with understaffed clinics, broken schools, and stagnant social grants.
"It's our people who are suffering. It's our children who think they have no future. It's our children who are killed every single day by hunger and by bullets and by guns. It's our people who cannot take this burden any longer, and it's our people who are saying to this government, you do not represent us."
Trade union SAFTU believes the treasury should increase corporate tax.
"SAFTU demands that corporate taxes be increased to at least 45 per cent, a wealth tax on individuals with net assets above R10 million, a solidarity tax on high-income earners, and a financial transaction tax on speculative capital," said the federation’s Secretary-General Zwelinzima Vavi.
Meanwhile, the DA’s Willie Aucamp says they’re looking forward to the budget speech and are confident Minister Godongwana has listened to their proposals.
" We believe that there will definitely not be any VAT increases, and we hope that the DA's pledges that there must not be any other tax increases, with regards to the personal income tax placed on the people of South Africa. We hope that a proper spending review will be announced, and we believe that this will be a budget that will be more pro-job creation."
Find us on social media
Follow the ECR Newswatch WhatsApp channel here
