EFF on Mboweni's Supplementary Budget Speech

Image via: Brenton Geach / Gallo

EFF describes Mboweni’s budget speech as ‘predictable and uninspiring’

The EFF said Mboweni’s supplementary budget was nothing more than ‘continuations and concretisation of a discredited austerity budget’.

EFF on Mboweni's Supplementary Budget Speech

Image via: Brenton Geach / Gallo

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) are, to say the least, unimpressed with Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s Supplementary Budget speech which took place on Wednesday 24 June. 

The red berets have criticised Mboweni for not having a practical plan to lift the South African economy out of the damaging effects of a global pandemic. 

“What the finance minister presented today is nothing more than continuation and concretisation of [a] discredited austerity budget disguised as a credible budget,” it said in a statement on Wednesday. 

Mboweni, during the supplementary budget speech, said gross tax revenue for the 2020/2021 fiscal year would be revised down from R1.43 trillion to R1.12 trillion. That means that we expect to miss our tax target for this year by over R300 billion.

EFF CLAIMS MBOWENI AND RAMAPHOSA  FOOLED THE PUBLIC 

The EFF said Ramaphosa’s “big business bailouts” were disguised as the COVID-19 economic support package of R500 billion. 

“In an attempt to create an impression that the government has an economic plan to deal with the impact of COVID-19, Ramaphosa and Mboweni announced the ill-conceived economic support package which provided for very little additional money as much of the money announced was already in existence, or it is merely deferrals which are not guaranteed,” it said. 

The EFF said Mboweni and Ramaphosa’s main concern is to “safeguard and bailout big business”.

The red party said it expected additional allocation to the budget to ensure that social grants announced as temporary measures are made permanent, in particular, the basic income grant and that it would be increased to R500. 

“Unfortunately, the legitimate and rightful call for relief fell on deaf ears as the tax industry remains a vital contributor to South Africa’s economy,” it said.

SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET FAILED TO…

The EFF listed things that the Mboweni’s supplementary budget failed to mention. For instance, it said there was no plan to assist State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). 

“Privatisation and looting of SOEs are in full swing, and the governing party is finishing off what the apartheid government started. The fact that there was no mention of SA Express workers who have not been paid their March salaries is a clear indication of the callous agenda,” it said. 

The party said the majority of the additional money, made available through the supplementary budget, has been stolen through inflated tenders of water tanks, food parcels and procurement of quarantine sites in lodges, B&B and hotels. 

“The supplementary budget also failed to provide detailed practical and believable steps to decisively deal with illicit financial flows, in particular, aggressive tax avoidance by multinational companies,” it added.