DA's Michalakis says opposition parties' criticism of Budget Speech postponement unwarranted

CAPE TOWN - Democratic Alliance (DA) chief whip George Michalakis said that Wednesday’s postponement of the tabling of the national budget was democracy at work rather than a government in shambles.

Opposition parties on Wednesday slammed the Government of National Unity (GNU) for the historic, last-minute withdrawal, saying they wanted the documents to be tabled for consideration and debate.

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But Michalakis said their criticism was unwarranted.

"What is happening here today is actually showing two factors that should create immense confidence in what’s happening in this country. The first is, Parliament is not a laughing stock, but Parliament is no longer a rubber stamp to bad policies that will cripple our economy."

The impasse over the budget tabling was sparked by a proposal from Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to hike value-added tax (VAT) by two percentage points.

The VAT rate has been unchanged since 2018.

The DA and other GNU parties say they can’t support a move that will worsen the cost-of-living crisis.

Michalakis said it hoped the African National Congress (ANC) would consider alternative proposals from his party before a new budget was tabled in three weeks.

"You are not alone in the GNU. We have an equal say, and we will continue to fight for every single person in this country, most particularly the poor. We support this postponement."