South African Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel said at the launch of the latest Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement in Parliament on Wednesday that it did not make sense to provide tax relief at the moment in anticipation of revenue that may not be sustainable.
“The revenue performance introduces a series of difficult policy choices. Government has to ascertain what part of the revenue overrun is merely cyclical, given high commodity prices and consumption, and what part is likely to recur as part of the base-broadening efforts of the South African Revenue Service,” said Manuel.
“It does not make sense to spend once-off revenue on items that are likely to recur,” he added.
“Mum’s the word on the tax position taken next year,” concluded Manuel. — I-Net Bridge