Tag: Free Market Foundation
To tackle COVID-19 we need trade collaboration and innovation
As member states of the World Health Organization prepare to gather in Geneva on May 18th for the World Health Assembly, a global coalition of 31 think tanks calls on governments to commit to open trade, collaboration and innovation in the fight against Covid-19 and future disease outbreaks.
‘Flattening the curve’ was intended for the virus, not the economy
Business for SA (B4SA) has called for South Africa to proceed quickly to lockdown level 2, lest deeper, and longer-lasting harm be caused to an already crippled economy.
Government is flouting the Rule of Law!
Last week, government addressed the public and announced last-minute changes to the Level 4 lockdown regulations. Whilst these changes angered most and pleased some, the overriding problem with them is the inherent arbitrariness.
There is no uncertainty about the economic disaster caused by the...
Advocates of the lockdown ignore the most basic law of life, that benefits have costs, and that costs easily exceed benefits. People's most 'essential' need is income; the country's most 'essential' need is production. The government's decision to extend the lockdown might cause more premature deaths than far less extreme measures, or even lifting existing measures completely. The economic and human rights impact is more extreme than all but a few realise.
Comply with the lockdown, but don’t judge those who don’t
Legally we have entered unchartered waters that government, perhaps understandably, appears unable to navigate. Practically, the coronavirus regulations cannot be adhered to in a society composed like South Africa’s. In whichever way one approaches the issue, the coronavirus regulations should in large part be set aside and replaced by less restrictive measures to control the pandemic.
Government should beware of inadvertently taking lives in its attempt to...
South Africa has been on lockdown for more than a week. Integral to the lockdown regulations are the forced closures of businesses that are not deemed 'essential' by government.
Beware the constitutional void during the lockdown
The lockdown has begun. Only movement deemed 'essential' is now allowed – a significant limitation if not suspension of our right to freedom of movement guaranteed in section 21 of the Constitution. This opens a can of worms that our constitutional democracy might be ill-equipped to deal with.
Will the 2020 budget promise SA secure ownership rights and freedom?
Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni will deliver his 2020 budget speech today. South Africa enters a new decade with a growth forecast of only 0.7% (according to ratings agency Moody’s).
Business rescue – politicians must familiarise themselves with the law
Certain senior politicians seem to have a misapprehension of how business rescue works in South Africa, particularly as it regards the situation at South African Airways (SAA). Some within the ruling party recently indicated that government will intervene to 'retain the [sic] SAA as a state-owned enterprise'. This cannot legally be done.
Production and savings are what drives an economy
The South African economy is facing a savings crisis. Citizens cannot afford to save enough money to drive the necessary capital generation for investment because of the suffocating effects of the government’s economic policies, such as high tax rates and levies on certain products like fuel.
