Michael Sachs questions the budget’s constitutionality

The 2021/2022 budget tabled by finance minister Tito Mboweni last week might be inconsistent with the constitution’s bill of rights in that it projects a decrease in the provision of basic rights, Michael Sachs, the acting chair of the statutory body mandated to advise the government on its fiscal framework and inter-governmental relations, said in parliament on Wednesday.

He said the budget signaled the erosion of basic human rights such as basic education, health-care and social grants enshrined in the constitution. Sachs said the Financial and Fiscal Commission (FFC) is not convinced that the budget is consistent with the provisions of the constitution and that Mboweni has not gone far enough to convince it of this...