The DA will press the Finance Minister to make the logical decision to continue fuel levy relief for at least one more month using government and parliamentary processes.
Failure to do so will result in petrol rising by R4.28 and diesel by R6.41 a litre instead of R1.28 and R3.41. Failure to do so will also result in higher inflation, higher interest rates and lower economic growth.
While the DA supports another month’s fuel levy relief, we will not support future tax or debt increases to pay for this relief. There are enough patronage pots, like the Compensation Fund, whose excesses we must stem in order to fund this measure.
Every year the Compensation Fund and other broken entities apply to the National Treasury to retain their billions in annual surpluses. Every year, for reasons unknown, they are granted permission. This is despite the same entities receiving poor audit outcomes.
Government does not need to change any laws to reclaim this money, they merely need to stop issuing illogical exemptions.
Furthermore, National Treasury can likely save billions if it extends its ghost worker audit to municipalities and state entities and gives its spending review program teeth.
It should not require a crisis for the government to take these logical and fiscally responsible steps.
Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbite by Dr Mark Burke MP.