The stage is set for a fierce parliamentary debate after finance minister Enoch Godongwana tabled a budget that backed down halfway on the VAT hike he proposed last month but hit individual taxpayers with so-called fiscal drag to help fund additions to government spending, particularly on front-line services.

Godongwana got the go-ahead to table Wednesday’s budget after the cabinet delayed his scheduled February 19 presentation because of disagreement over the two percentage-point VAT increase he proposed in a “tax and spend” budget that walked back from the spending cuts of previous years...

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