Category: Basic Income

The unemployment rate is the highest ever. Treasury Minister Enoch Godonwana has receded expectations that the government is about to announce a basic income grant.

In his medium-term budget speech, he emphasized that South Africa has already spent more than R1 trillion on social subsidies.

Additional grants must first “pass the sustainability and effectiveness test by raising sufficient and adequate funding to ensure that the fiscal balance does not deteriorate.” Treasury Minister Enoch Godonwana did not suggest in his first medium-term budget speech that he was keen to accept a basic income grant, while South Africa […]

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The MTBPS stresses that there are already 18.3 million citizens who receive one or another form of welfare grant. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G) Despite the demands and expectations, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana was almost certainly never going to announce new social grants on Thursday and his maiden medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) deferred the issue to the main budget in February.

The MTBPS does not mention the words basic income grant per se. Nor does it allude the findings of a study on the subject commissioned by the treasury. Instead it speaks of three priorities, the first being “addressing shortfalls in social […]

Full Post at mg.co.za

Finance minister Enoch Godongwana says that the government will present further interventions on South Africa’s social safety net in the February 2022 national budget.

Presenting his Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) on Thursday (11 November), Godongwana noted that the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant is coming to an end in March 2022. The grant was initially introduced to assist South Africans impacted by the Covid-19 lockdown and was reinstated after riots took place in parts of the country in July.

To date, Godongwana said the grant had benefitted approximately 9.5 million South Africans. This is over and above […]

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The MTBPS stresses that there are already 18.3 million citizens who receive one or another form of welfare grant. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G) Despite the demands and expectations, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana was almost certainly never going to announce new social grants on Thursday and his maiden medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) deferred the issue to the main budget in February.

The MTBPS does not mention the words basic income grant per se. Nor does it allude the findings of a study on the subject commissioned by the treasury. Instead it speaks of three priorities, the first being “addressing shortfalls in social […]

Full Post at mg.co.za

Finance minister Enoch Godongwana. Finance minister Enoch Godongwana has not budgeted for an extension of the R350 social relief of distress grant beyond the March 2022 expiry date, saying that decision resides with the cabinet.

“In terms of the basic income grant or R350 or anything, our view is that it comes to an end, it was extended until the end of March. Between now and end of March, government has got to decide what they do and not Treasury.

“They will decide, do you want to extend it, do you want this? And if you want any of these things, […]

Full Post at www.timeslive.co.za

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tabling his maiden Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) in the National Assembly. Picture: @TreasuryRSA/Twitter Amid growing calls for government to implement a basic income grant (BIG), Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana says discussions about increasing the social safety net are still ongoing.

The minister on Thursday tabled his maiden Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) in the National Assembly.

He said the details on government’s interventions with regards to the social security net and the BIG would be provided in the February 2022 Budget Speech.“Let me however reiterate that a permanent solution in responding to these challenges is to […]

Full Post at www.citizen.co.za

Amid growing calls for the government to implement a Basic Income Subsidy (BIG), Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said talks about increasing the social safety net were still ongoing.

The minister tabled his first Medium-Term Budgetary Policy Statement (PSMTB) in the National Assembly on Thursday.

He said details of the government’s interventions regarding the social safety net and the OIG would be provided in the February 2022 budget speech.“However, let me reiterate that a permanent solution to address these challenges is to achieve high and sustained levels of economic growth,” Godongwana said. READ ALSO : Treasury expects South Africa’s economy to grow […]

Full Post at eminetra.co.za

Unemployment is at a record high. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana walked back any expectations that government is on the verge of announcing a basic income grant.

In his medium-term budget speech, he stressed that South Africa is already spending more than R1 trillion on social grants.

Any additional grants must first "meet the test of sustainability and effectiveness by being fully and appropriately financed to ensure that the fiscal balance does not deteriorate". In his first medium-term budget speech, Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana did not give any indication that he is keen to embrace a […]

Full Post at www.news24.com

Zwelinzima Vavi, the General Secretary of (South African Federation of Trade Unions) SAFTU has called for the implementation of an unconditional basic income grant ahead of the Finance minister, Enoch Gondongwana’s first Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS). Vavi said the grant should be aimed towards unemployed South Africans between the ages of 18 and 59.

Vavi was speaking at the Cry of the Xcluded – an anti-austerity group – event on Wednesday ahead of the MTBPS on Thursday, 11 November, which will be Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s first budget speech.

Vavi said the basic income grant should be at least […]

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