Tag: government debt

Excise taxes on beer have become a contentious issue, raising concerns about their impact on consumers, producers, and the economy. Adjusting tax policies can be challenging, though some amendments are more accepted than others.

Austerity does not need to mean suffering. Cutting public spending is urgent to address South Africa’s growing debt. Delaying cuts will only worsen debt and interest payments, making future cuts more severe. Reducing spending needn’t harm South Africans, as many wasteful expenses can be removed. In 2023, the Democratic Alliance (DA) estimated that the African National Congress (ANC)-led departments wasted around R40 billion in 2022/23 alone.

How to get rich in the 21st century details how India’s prime minister wants his country to reach rich world status by 2047. His formula lies in incentivising homegrown industry, a diversified services base, and a relentless focus on what’s good for the economy.

The cabinet approved a new state-owned enterprise (SOE) plan, which will lays the basis for private equity investment in state companies and listings on the stock exchange. It has already stirred significant debate and discussion – and rightly so, because full or partial privatisation by countries around the world has been met with mixed success.

We have released a South Africa’s anti-growth strategy report. The report argues that the slow economic growth of the last 15 years is the result of bad policy choices, a catastrophic decline in government performance and a devastating lack of leadership. Despite rhetoric to the contrary, the South African government does not have a growth strategy. If anything, it has an anti-growth strategy.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, had the unenviable task of delivering the annual Budget Speech. Over the last year, and especially over the last few months, South Africa has taken one knock after another.

Russia is inching towards a debt default. We look at which emerging markets might be most at risk of contagion and whether investors should be concerned. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to have a devastating human impact.

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.

A 'new' economic school of thought has emerged and gained mass popularity over the recent years. Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), seeks to challenge the mainstream consensus across the economic spectrum. What exactly is MMT and could it work to address South Africa’s economic woes?

Economic freedom enshrines personal choice, voluntary exchange and protection of private property. It is the freedom to start a business or hire an employee without government interference, or to invest and trade with whomever you please.