BusinessLive reports that trade union federation Cosatu said on Wednesday that the national budget had failed to live up to the bold plans of boosting job creation and fighting corruption as outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his state of the nation address (Sona).  

In its reaction to Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba’s budget address, Cosatu said it was “deafeningly silent on government’s plans to create jobs and fight corruption”.  Cosatu parliamentary co-ordinator Matthew Parks also expressed disappointment at the announced VAT increase from 14% to 15%, saying it would hurt workers and their families.  Parks said Cosatu was cognisant of the pressures the government was seeking to juggle but was concerned that this was coming on the “backs of struggling and middle classes”.  It questioned why the government had “run away” from increasing taxes for the wealthy and for corporates.  "In essence, politicians and their friends have looted the state and now nurses, teachers, police officers etc. must foot the bill,” Parks said.  The federation was also unhappy with plans to curb expenditure on the public-service wage bill, saying that public service posts had been cut by 3% over the past two years and nurses and doctors were battling to cope.

• Read this report by Theto Mahlakoana and Ernest Mabuza in full at BusinessLive
• Read Cosatu’s press statement in this regard at Cosatu Today
• Read too, Increase in VAT will drive inflation higher and affect the average consumer’s pocket, at BusinessLive

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page