Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has again put out a call to the public to make proposals on how to achieve equitable economic growth.
National Treasury on Monday issued a statement, calling for ideas, ahead of the National Budget to be tabled by the minister on February 26.
“As usual the budget allocation always aims to strike a balance amongst competing national spending priorities.
“It is in this context that Minister Mboweni invites South Africans to share their views about economic conditions and other issues they would like government to highlight in the Budget on 26 February 2020,” Treasury said.
The minister would particularly like views on what government can do to achieve faster, and more equitable economic growth.
This is separate to an economic paper issued by Treasury last year. The paper included proposals to bolster growth by 3 percentage points per year and to create up to a million jobs.
Over 700 comments were received. It is still under deliberation and is not yet government policy.
Mboweni took to Twitter earlier this month to express frustration with the pace of economic reform in the country, Fin24 previously reported.
“What are critical Economic Strategic Reforms? Read the National Treasury now Government Document! Let us move Forward! Many Steps at the same Time!! Movement!! No time for procrastinating!!,” he tweeted.
South Africans can, in the meantime, share their tips with Treasury via Twitter – at @TreasuryRSA with the hashtag #TipsForMinFin and #Budget2019. Or they can drop their tips at the National Treasury website, under the tab labelled “Tips” on the home page.
The minister this week will lead a delegation at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Each year the meeting sees government officials and business leaders from across the world to discuss economic-related issues. This year’s theme focuses on sustainable development.
The WEF meeting follows the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London, held on Monday, which Mboweni attended along with International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor. This summit seeks to strengthen investment partnerships between the UK and African countries.
Compiled by Lameez Omarjee