By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
2 April 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it will file papers in the Western Cape High Court to challenge Parliament’s passing of the 2025/26 national budget. The leader of DA and a Member of Parliament (MP), John Steenhuisen accused Action SA of handing over VAT hike to the ANC on a platter.
Steenhuisen further said what happened was unthinkable, unlawful and unconstitutional. He added that the Action SA and the ANC, were joined in passing this VAT Budget by the IFP, PA, GOOD, Rize Mzansi, UDM, PAC, Al Jama-ah and BOSA, who collectively have chosen to make life more expensive for South Africans.
“The DA has vehemently opposed the Finance Minister’s Budget proposal, and we have negotiated for amendments that would have ensured economic growth and job-creation, because that is what South Africa needs.
“Instead of the budget being amended to address the needs of struggling South Africans, the budget has been passed by the National Assembly with VAT hikes to make life more expensive for South Africans,” said Steenhuisen.
He said yesterday’s sitting of Parliament’s Finance Committee was not compliant with the standing rules of Parliament, in that the Fiscal Framework was not put to the committee to approve or reject, and one proposal during the meeting of one political party was taken as adopted without the other tabled amendments being considered. Steenhuisen said this legal shortcoming was carried forward into the National Assembly today.
“In the National Assembly this flawed Finance Committee report was approved by several parties in the National Assembly, but not the DA. This approval by those parties effectively means that the Budget measures announced by the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana in his March 12th Budget Speech have now been adopted by the National Assembly.
“The DA’s court challenge rests on two key grounds such as the procedure of the Finance Committee on 1 April 2025, to consider and approve the Fiscal Framework, and the constitutionality of certain revenue collection and expenditure measures becoming binding through a speech by Godongwana without Parliament having to consider, oversee or approve them,” he said.
Steenhuisen said they are looking forward to this matter being addressed in court, for the benefit of all South Africans who do not agree to this budget. He said they refuse to give in to the ANC’s tax increases.
“They remain hellbent on making people poorer. The ANC is out of touch with the people and if they bought their own groceries or filled their own tanks, they would know how expensive life already is,” said Steenhuisen.
The Guardian 