AT R1.5-trillion the 2016-17 national budget tabled by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Wednesday is SA’s biggest yet.It is also the most politically contentious as it was drawn up against the backdrop of a looming credit rating downgrade and the ejection in December of Nhlanhla Nene as finance minister.Though the Treasury has done the usual job of deftly dancing around sensitive social and political issues, making and squeezing concessions from different sectors, questions remain about the future of the fiscal framework should the economic growth rate continue to decline. Much of the recent data show SA is skirting recession and is in grave danger of a contraction.In depth: Budget 2016News, views and analysis of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's 2016 budget"Growth is key to protecting our fiscal credibility and sovereignty. Our problems cannot be resolved by fiscal and monetary interventions alone because the growth rate heavily influences many of the key ratios that determine ou...
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