Tag: budget deficit

Parliament tabled the 2025 budgets on 19 February 2025, but they were not approved. The budgets proposed a 2% increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT) rate. The proposal suggested raising the VAT rate from 15% to 17%.

The 2024 Budget was tabled to Parliament on 21 February 2024 by South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. Tax Pocket Guide Honourable Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula His Excellency,...

With the budget speech being delivered in an election year, I expect to hear populist promises and over-optimism which is geared more to voters than the financial markets. We will need to scrutinise the numbers coming out of the budget very carefully to see if Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s budget proposals are viable and achievable given the country’s high debt burden and strained tax base.

The 2023 Budget was tabled to Parliament on 22 February 2023 by South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.

The good news stemming from the Medium Term Budget Policy statement (MTBPS) is that in 2023/24, South Africa is expected to achieve its first primary budget surplus in 15 years and this will be achieved with no new revenue enhancing measures from 2023/24 onwards. 

The prolonged Russia-Ukraine war is ushering in a new era of volatility and possible recession for South Africa and the world. When Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered his maiden budget speech in February 2022, little did he know that Russia would invade Ukraine the very next day, immediately changing both the world and South Africa’s economic outlook for 2022 and beyond.

The National Budget was characterised by the balance between social welfare expenditure and fiscal sustainability amid a disappointing outlook for GDP growth in South Africa. The estimate for GDP growth for 2021 was reduced from 5.1% to 4.8% and forecasted to grow at 1.8% p.a. over the next three years.

The 2022 Budget was tabled to Parliament on 23 February 2022 by South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.

When it comes to funding the basic income grant (BIG), I caution against putting further financial pressure on tax-paying citizens and the private sector. The BIG is the big issue on the table this year, as Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana prepares his inaugural Budget Speech.

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s budget has been received very positively, as demonstrated by the reaction from markets. SA Inc companies have rallied, the rand initially strengthened, and even the bond market is acting positively. However, while there are notes of hope, this budget also demonstrates a number of key risks, overly optimistic assumptions and potential weaknesses, pointing to an extremely challenging path ahead for the country.