The Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni will on Wednesday announce his special adjustment or ‘emergency’ budget around COVID-19.
A budget is a necessity for any business, including a country. But, it is practically impossible to create a budget from nothing.
“A country’s budget is about sensible spending in the interest of the resident’s of the country,” says Mr Louis Meintjes, the president of TLU SA. “You can hardly plan how to spend money you do not have. When a country further struggles to get any affordable loans because the government’s policies directly lead to junk status, an adjusted budget seems rather useless.
“South Africa’s debt – already in the range of 80% - have surpassed all logical boundaries,” he says. “The capacity to reimburse it from tax incomes shrinks by the day. The ANC cannot expect punch-drunk taxpayers to dump more money into the ANC’s bottomless pit, while they continue with the unacceptable and destructive governing style.”
Agriculture is a vital industry with many secondary sectors and job opportunities centred around it. Stability is essential for agriculture to function correctly. The expansion and management of infrastructure are crucial to transport products. It is of the utmost importance that disaster management is transparent and without any racial prejudice.
Minister Mboweni’s biggest challenge will be to set a budget which will stimulate economic growth. Given the status of our revenue, each decision should be tested against its impact on growth. The budget can only have a chance at success if the following aspects are in place:
Fire all incapable government employees and adjust government salaries to rational levels;
Prosecute all politicians and government officials involved with corruption to cleanse the cabinet;
Create an independent tender board to approve all government tenders through transparent procedures. The council must consist of members of various political parties under the chairmanship of a judge;
Clear the SAPS of incapable and corrupt members, and effectively put an end to crime;
Put an end to all cadre deployment and appoint people on the grounds of expertise, despite race;
Quit all policies which break down investor’s trust, like expropriation without compensation, BEE and the nationalisation of the Reserve Bank;
Stop the ‘struggle’ mentality and become a government which takes decisions in the interest of its residents and not for self-enrichment.
“Before we can entrust any more spending to the ANC government, they must implement the above,” says Mr Meintjes. “Without it, no budget can be implemented sensibly. The ravaging of the treasury has become synonym with the ANC. We, the taxpayers who want to build the future of the country, cannot keep on financing the government’s failures and wasteful spending.”
Agriculture can and want to make a vast contribution – make it possible for us to do so.
TLU SA dring aan op veranderinge vir sinvolle begroting
Die Minister van Finansies, Tito Mboweni maak Woensdag die spesiale aanpassingsbegroting of ‘noodbegroting’ rondom COVID-19 bekend.
Uiteraard is ‘n begroting vir enige besigheid, insluitende die land, noodsaaklik. Maar, dit is ook bykans onmoontlik om ‘n sinvolle begroting uit niks uit op te stel.
“’n Land se begroting gaan oor sinvolle spandering in belang van die inwoners van die land,” sê mnr. Louis Meintjes, die president van TLU SA. “Daar kan kwalik beplan word om iets uit te gee wat jy nie het nie. As die land dan nog verder sukkel om enige bekostigbare lenings te kry omdat die regering se beleidsomgewing direk tot rommelstatus gelei het, is ‘n aangepaste begroting eintlik maar redelik nutteloos.
“Suid-Afrika se skuldlas – wat reeds in die omgewing van 80% draai – is verby alle logiese grense,” sê hy. “Die kapasiteit om dit uit belastinginkomste te kan diens word by die dag kleiner. Die ANC kan nie van die vuisvoos belastingbetalers verwag om nog meer geld in die bodemlose ANC-put te stort, terwyl hierdie onaanvaarbare en vernietigende regeringstyl gehandhaaf word nie.”
Landbou is ‘n kernbedryf waarom baie sekondêre bedrywe en werksgeleenthede gevestig is. Vir landbou om na behore te funksioneer is stabiliteit noodsaaklik. Die uitbreiding en instandhouding van infrastruktuur is broodnodig om produkte te vervoer. Dit is ook van kardinale belang dat rampbestuur deursigtig en sonder enige rassefokus geskied.
Minister Mboweni se grootste uitdaging sal wees om ‘n begroting daar te stel wat stimulerend sal wees vir ekonomiese groei. Gegewe die finansiële stand van die fiskus behoort elke besluit eers getoets te word aan die invloed op groei. Die begroting sal slegs geloofwaardig wees indien die volgende aspekte aandag ontvang:
Dank alle onbevoegde staatsamptenare af en pas staatsdienssalarisse aan tot rasionele perke;
Vervolg alle politici en staatsamptenare wat gemoeid is met korrupsie om die kabinet te suiwer;
Skep ‘n onafhanklike tenderraad wat alle staatstenders volgens ‘n deursigtige prodedures moet goedkeur. Die tenderraad moet saamgestel word uit die onderskeie politieke partye, onder voorsitterskap van ‘n regter;
Suiwer die SAPD van onbevoegde en korrupte lede en bekamp alle misdaad effektief;
Staak kader-ontplooiing op alle vlakke en stel mense op grond van kundigheid – ongeag ras – aan;
Staak alle beleidstandpunte soos onteiening sonder vergoeding, SEB en die nasionalisering van die Reserwebank wat beleggersvertroue afbreek;
Staak die ‘struggle’- mentaliteit en word ‘n regering wat besluite neem in belang van die land se inwoners, nie om selfverrryking nie.
“Voordat enige spandering verder aan die ANC-regering toevertrou kan word, móét die bogenoemde aspekte toegepas word,” sê mnr. Meintjes. “Daarsonder sal geen begroting sinvol geïmplementeer kan word nie. Die plundering van die staatskas is al sinoniem met die ANC se bestaan. Ons, die belastingbetalers wat graag aan die toekoms van die land wil bou, kan nie verder die regering se mislukkings en spandabelrigheid finansier nie.”
Landbou kan en wil ‘n wesentlike bydrae lewer – maak dit vir ons moontlik om dit te doen.
