CAPE TOWN- Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Njongonkulu Ndungane said the 2018 budget delivered by the finance minster was an example of taking from the poor to continue enrich the wealthy and is nothing more that, it is a “Robin Hood” budget he said.
The archbishop had strong words against the Gigaba budget speech, saying that the budget effectively robs the poor and does not have any type of short term relief for the low to middle class families.
” Even though the increase in social grants and in pensions are above the rate of inflation, they will simply be swallowed up in the increase in the VAT rate from 14% to 15% and in the 52c a litre increase in the fuel levy.
“The truth is that the looting through state capture of the Zuma administration has now caught up with us, and, once again, it is the poor who are going to suffer the brunt of the burden of balancing our budget,
“Now we need action to back up the laudable words of new President Cyril Ramaphosa on SOEs.”
He did however welcome the new government administration, where Cyril Ramaphosa intends of shrieking the current government departments and focus on improving government SOE’s.
“We trust that this means that our government is finally saying a very firm ‘no’ to the nuclear programme and that this foolhardy pet project of former President Jacob Zuma is being thrown out of the window once and for all.
“In its place, government needs to look with greater seriousness at alternative forms of energy generation.”
Photo Credit- BusinessLIVE
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