- Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is calling on South Africans to make suggestions on the National Budget.
- Godongwana is expected to deliver his Budget Speech next month.
- The closing date for submissions is 11th February 2024.
The National Budget Speech is expected to be delivered by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana next month, but the Department of Finance is calling on South Africans to submit suggestions before that happens.
While it remains to be seen whether this is simply pandering to voters in an election year, or whether government is indeed interested in receiving feedback from citizens on the National Budget remains to be seen.
“The budget allocation aims to strike a balance between growing the economy and supporting the vulnerable amid limited resources. It is in this context that Minister Godongwana invites South Africans to share their suggestions on the Budget. Minister Godongwana looks forward to your contributions,” the Department noted in a statement.
As for the suggestions, it is specifically looking for people to submit their views on the following areas:
- Municipal finances,
- Spending priorities of government,
- Addressing a large budget deficit,
- Stabilising State-Owned Entity finances,
- Managing the energy crisis,
- Tax revenues,
- Debt sustainability.
Those wanting to submit suggestions are directed to do so via the National Treasury website here.
The Department is also asking citizens to share their thoughts on social media using the hashtag #TipsForMinFin or #Budget2024, although that channel may prove a little more difficult in terms of separating signal from noise.
[Image – CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED GovernmentZA on Flickr]
