People’s Budget Campaign puts a dampener on Trevor’s budget

With so many good things being said about the Finance Minister’s budget, it took the People’s Budget Campaign representing Cosatu, the SA Council of Churches and the SA NGO Coalition, to express its disappointment with it.

The coalition said that if the country wanted to cut poverty and unemployment in half, then the expansion of the budget and a greater deficit were crucial ways in which this could happen.

It said that last year’s budget had increased by 10% whereas this year’s increase only represented a 7,2% real increase.

Likewise the deficit at 3.1% for 2005/6 (the money that government has to borrow to pay for all its expenses) should have been larger.

It criticised the cutting of company and personal taxes saying that these benefited the rich rather than the poor.

It would have preferred to see tax cuts on value added tax or the partial funding of a basic income grant or bigger increases in existing social grants.

While welcoming the change in housing policy to create “sustainable communities” out of dormitory townships, it questioned whether the reduction in spending when compared with last year would achieve this.

It was pleased with the real increase in spending on education and health but worried about no specific mention of HIV/Aids nor of improving conditions of service for health workers.

Although pleased with increased resources going to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, it expressed concern over no clear provision for Adult Basic Education and Early Childhood development.

Years that end with 05 – Is there something special about them?

There is something special with years that end with 05. Just look at the anniversaries and celebrations that are to be held this year.

1985-2005

Cosatu celebrates its 20-year existence. The federation was formed at the height of a mass uprising with organs of people’s power mushrooming in different communities.

1975-2005

Mozambique and Angola celebrate 30-years of independence. Frelimo and MPLA’s victory over Portuguese colonialism in 1975 inspires resistance inside South Africa .

1955-2005

Fifty years of the Freedom Charter. Tripartite Alliance has a number of activities to mark the adoption of the Freedom Charter on June 26 1955 .

1945-2005

Sixty years after guns and warplanes went silent and World War II came to an end. The United Nations convenes a special session to mark the day Soviet troops freed Jews from concentration camps 60-years ago.

1905-2005

Hundred years of the first Russian revolution in 1905. The 1905 revolution was a prologue to the 1917 October revolution. It is in the 1905 revolution that the idea of soviets as organs of rule came up.