Public Finances and the Transparency Challenge
Do government departments pay any attention to what the auditor general recommends? How our government manages its finances is an issue that always stirs up a huge amount of emotions …
South African Fiscal Policy
Budget 2010: How Are We To Do It?
What is to be done? Minister Pravin Gordhan asked the question in his inaugural budget speech. There was a slight pause after he asked the question. He then broke from …
Pointers for Pravin
The previous Minister of Finance, Trevor Manuel, always peppered his budget speech with humorous advice received as part of his “Tips for Trevor” campaign. As Minister Pravin Gordhan unveils his …
Budgeting with the Gorillas
There is some confusion over whether the idiom should be a “600 pound gorilla” or the much larger “800-pound” creature. The usage also differs with some using it as a …
Budget 2009: Great Transformation or Illusion Leading to Delusion
Minister Trevor Manuel referred to debates on the size of deficits as an illusionary delusion, asking South Africans to focus on the effectiveness and quality of spending. Underlying this perspective …
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Budget 2008/09: Can the Polokwane Strawman win the war against poverty?
The boisterous rotating arms that signalled a need for substitution, a 60:40 split in the voting for national office-bearers and the fact that leftist formations had backed the winning ticket …
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Gear: A bureaucratic story, and some tough questions and challenges
“Asiyifuni Gear [We do not want Gear].” This was a common slogan by unionists in response to the government’s Growth, Employment and Redistribution Strategy. It reflected opposition to Gear. Eleven …
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Mini-budget, mighty implications and the wooden spoon
once heard Trevor Manuel say: “Let me take out my wooden spoon and stir.” Finally, I realised where his staff learned to use the phrase. Imitation is, after all, the …
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Cut VAT, not income tax
There is a fundamental contradiction in the government’s economic approach. It has adopted a counter-cyclical fiscal policy with an eye to stimulating growth and development through increased spending and investment. …