By Daanyaal Matthews
The passing of the budget vote in Parliament has sparked widespread criticism from both civil organizations and political parties. ActionSA has backed its decision to stand with the ANC by stating that it was necessary to not see a stalled government while also creating a framework wherein the tenets of the budget vote could be reconsidered.
ActionSA remains adamant that the 0.5% increase to VAT will not be introduced, while parties like the Democratic Alliance (DA) have lambasted the words of ActionSA, arguing that they have allowed VAT to increase by siding with the ANC and have furthered their frustrations with the Western Cape High Court, where the party seeks to overturn the budget vote.
Speaking on VOC Newsbeat, Professor Koos Malan, professor of law at the University of Pretoria, stated that while it may seem odd for the DA to challenge the budget vote that had been passed. The core argument of the DA is challenging the process by which the budget vote was passed.
According to the professor, the argument of the DA lies in the technical arrangements, as they argue that the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and the National Council of Provinces on Finance were not consulted on the budget speech, therefore rendering the decision by Parliament to side with the budget proposal of the Finance Minister null and void.
“What the court must basically decide upon is whether the technical arrangements referred to in the money bill and related matters act—whether those technical arrangements, those technical arrangements, have been complied with,” explained Malan.
Listen to the full interview here:
