#BudgetSpeech expectations: Eskom, social grants & SAA
South Africans are bracing themselves for major financial blows as finance minister Tito Mboweni is set to deliver the 2019/20 budget speech on Wednesday afternoon.
The budget speech is currently one of the most talked-about topics on social media as South Africans express their expectations ahead of the event.
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Rescue plans for state-owned entities Eskom and SAA, e-tolls, social grants and increases in personal tax are some of the issues that South Africans are expecting Mboweni to address.
The EFF said it expects the finance minister to double social and pension grants, to reverse VAT to 14%, to increase corporate income tax from 28% to 32% and to abolish tenders, among other hopeful predictions.
@tito_mboweni today will deliver his maiden budget speech, for me I'm looking forward to hear how the unbundling of Eskom will work out with opposition parties @EFFSouthAfrica having argued it's a plan to privatise Eskom!
— @Colonel_GtakeSibuyi (@ColonelGtakeSi1) February 20, 2019
#TitoMboweni 's #budgetspeech must be satisfying... He must touch on etolls, petrol, SASSA and VAT. I mean #25YearsAfterDemocracy we still complaining about poverty? Come on.#Budget2019
— Sonndi🇿🇦 (@Sonndi_M) February 20, 2019
Budget speech today;wonder how tight the belt is gonna be this time around
— Bulelwa Mabuya (@Bullet8214) February 20, 2019
May the honorable @tito_mboweni remember Gender Responsive Budgeting today. #BudgetSpeech
— Mandisa Khanyile (@Ezamission) February 20, 2019
Bra @tito_mboweni , roughly how much benefit do we derive from a rand given all the taxes we pay? Oh, how much more is it going to be reduced from tomorrow?@ungovernabl3 Is it possible to work this out? I have a feeling the comrade won't respond. #Budget2019 #BudgetSpeech2019
— Mathabatha (@Tabudim) February 19, 2019
@tito_mboweni Please don't ask us to pull up our socks while we walking barefoot. Stop the trend of luxury servants that politicians have become. Return to the true definition of what a servant is. We, the people are your masters! Treat us as such! Serve Us! #BudgetSpeech2019
— ApparentlyAlleged (@matsimelaC) February 19, 2019
Honourable Minister @tito_mboweni , your #BudgetSpeech2019 coincides with #WorldDayForSocialJustice - I hope to hear how Government plans on funding Social Justice initiatives. #TheYearOfActionAndResults #TipsForTito
— Thembalethu (Justice) Seyisi (@Justice_Seyisi) February 19, 2019
Tito Mboweni must reduce VAT from 15% to 13%. Food and other goods are currently too expensive esp to the poor. Companies must be heavily taxed (increased from 28% to 35% because in any case they evade tax). #BudgetSpeech2019 #Budget2019
— Mthobeli Chris Mlambo (@chris_mlambo1) February 19, 2019
It is rumoured that there will be an increase in sin tax from #BudgetSpeech2019. Currently at the clubs a 330ml of Savanna cost us R33, imagine how much we'll be paying after an increase! The cost of living is extremely high!!! Ayisibize iNkosi sihlukane nokukhathazeka.
— MthalaneT ® (@_Thandazani_M) February 19, 2019