ANC says no malice intended after statement fails to acknowledge ActionSA's budget proposals

JOHANNESBURG - While the African National Congress (ANC) and ActionSA celebrate their first national victory together, slight tensions have started brewing between the two over an ANC statement that failed to acknowledge a deal brokered to get over the Democratic Alliance (DA) hurdle.
 
This follows an overnight statement by the ANC, which hails the adoption of the fiscal framework in Parliament on Wednesday.
 
But it fails to mention the proposal made by ActionSA in the finance committee on Tuesday for amendments which will see the 0.5 percentage point value-added tax (VAT) increase and income tax relief for ratepayers.
 
The ANC's perspective is shared in a post by the South African government on X, which lists the VAT increase as one of the key takeaways from the budget that was adopted on Wednesday.
 
While ActionSA is refusing to read too much into the ANC's statement, it did say that the refusal to acknowledge the proposed amendments and the 30-day window given to the minister to make changes to the budget was peculiar.
 
The ANC said that the budget with its VAT adjustment was a difficult decision but defended it by saying it was done transparently, with expanded zero-rated goods aimed at shielding the poor from the tough times that await.

It also claimed that the budget speaks to the aspirations of millions of South Africans, who it urged to get behind the fiscal framework.
 
ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said there was no malice in leaving out decisions taken for amendments to be made.
 
"It's absolutely nothing that has to do with hoodwinking, it's not even possible to do so in such a robust and vibrant democracy."
 
Wednesday's budget vote was the first hurdle in a list of many other steps that needed to be taken in order to fully adopt the budget.