Who will deliver the 2018 budget?

SURELY NOT GIGABA: HE IS COMPROMISED This budget should be the start of new beginnings.

In 2017, then finance minister Pravin Gordhan, flanked by his deputy Mcebisi Jonas, strode to parliament to deliver the budget speech. Who will it be this year?

In 2017, then finance minister Pravin Gordhan was flanked by his deputy, Mcebisi Jonas, and director-general Lungile Fuzile as they strode towards parliament to deliver the budget speech. There was much to do. Who will it be this year?

After all, the sorry state of South Africa’s economy will have to be revealed, in particular:

The depth of the fiscal undercollection. The amount of capital required to keep those insolvent state-owned entities (SOEs) afloat. The innovative plan to fund free tertiary education. An increase in the paltry sum inefficiently given to the poor. The rumoured state sponsorship of Jacob Zuma’s protection and legal fees. The plan as to how all this additional revenue will be raised.

Meanwhile, we’ve been subjected to another year of corruption and maladministration of public institutions and SOEs, wasteful and irregular expenditure, the hovering controlling presence of the Gupta cephalopod, and bullying by Sars (hence, the taxpaying public is currently rather prickly and unsupportive).

For whatever reason, Sars has dismally failed as the tax collector. The only question that remains is by how much.

Obviously certain taxes need to be raised, new taxes may be introduced, and certain incentives may have to be cut. This will hit taxpayers hard. Raising VAT will be devastating to the poor.

Somewhat trickier, the changes require legislation to be written, systems to be changed, Sars’ staff to administer the changes, and training. There are very few staff left at Sars capable of running training courses, and these are the specialists who should be bringing in the money.

Notwithstanding the hurdles, the budget should offer solutions to the low skills base, job creation, unemployment, low business confidence and lack of fixed investment. There should be an update on the recommendations of the president’s committee, established at the time of the mini-budget. The budget should also address government departments that are wasting state resources.

Given his checkered past, links to the Gupta brotherhood, alleged hand in state capture and restructuring of SOE boards as minister of public enterprises, is Malusi Gigaba really the right person to open his arms in supplication saying: “gimme”?

Let us forever pay homage to Nelson Mandela, and never forget his promise on behalf of the newly-elected ANC government in 1994: “… to liberate all our people … to build a society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity – a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world”.

This budget should be the start of new beginnings, a country rising out of the fetid depths of state capture backed by its citizens, investors and taxpayers.

Barbara Curson is a CA(SA) with post graduate qualifications in tax and international tax.