Godongwana told his budget should have targeted 'bloated' Cabinet rather than increase VAT
The Finance Committees from the National Assembly and NCOP were engaging Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on Friday about the contentious budget he tabled on Wednesday.
Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana and the finance department briefed the joint meeting with the Standing Committee on Appropriations, Select Committee on Finance and Standing Committee on Finance, Select Committee on Appropriations on the 2025 Budget Speech Picture: Phando Jikelo/Parliament
CAPE TOWN - Members of Parliament’s finance committees said that Cabinet was too bloated and ministers continued to live a life of "opulence" while government increases VAT.
The finance committees from the National Assembly and NCOP were engaging Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on Friday about the contentious budget he tabled on Wednesday.
They’ve called on Godongwana to rather focus on blocking the leakages and want the budget amended before its final adoption in three months.
Parties from inside and outside the GNU engaged Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana for the first time following his tabling of the budget.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)’s Omphile Maotwe questioned the rationale behind the VAT increase.
"You know the issue about the VAT, minister, you take it very lightly and you think that we move from two percent to one percent which is in two years. But the reality is our people are saying how are we going to afford taking our kids to school?"
ActionSA MP, Alan Beasley, told Godongwana that the budget should rather target the bloated Cabinet, which comes at a huge cost to the fiscus.
"You can’t ask ordinary South Africans to tighten their belt when the Cabinet is living a life of opulence and luxury."
MPs will continue debating the budget in the various committees over the next three months before they vote on whether to adopt it as is or with changes.