BRIAN KANTOR: Parsimony in small things has brought SA great harm
Monetary stimulus would fund the vaccines we need and bolster the economic recovery
The fiasco over the supply of vaccines reveals the vacuity of SA’s approach to Covid-19. The deposit of R283m to secure a supply of vaccines was not budgeted for because we didn’t have the funds, though money for much else was found in the adjusted budget.
Has anyone in the Treasury or the government attempted to calculate how much additional income will be lost for want of the vaccine, and how much tax revenue the Treasury will not be able to collect? It will be many times the R20bn to be spent on the vaccine, R7bn of which is to be funded by members of medical aids. A tax increase or expropriation by any other name, this is unhelpful given the state of the economy...
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