Here are the headline numbers from Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s medium-term budget policy statement:• Revenue shortfall: R23bn for 2016-17• Tax increases:2018-18: R28bn (up from R15bn projected in the budget in February)2018-19: R15bn• Growth forecasts:2016: 0.5% (down from 0.9% projected in February)2017: 1.3%2018: 2.0%2019: 2.2%• Budget deficits:2016-17: 3.4% of GDP (up from 3.2% projected in February)2017-18: 2.7%2018-19: 2.5%• Spending to fall by:R10.6bn in 2016-17R20bn in 2017-18 (up from R10bn projected in February)R16bn in 2018-19• Public service:Almost R19bn in spending cuts over the three-year periodAt least 25,000 public service jobs to be cut — more if wages rise too high• Higher education:An extra R17bn over the three years — R7.6bn to universities to fund fee freezes for the "missing middle" and R9.2bn to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS)
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