DA to challenge passing of budget in court

DA leader John Steenhuisen will file court papers in the Western Cape High Court to challenge the passing of the 2025 budget.

The national budget was passed in parliament on Wednesday after facing opposition from different parties, with 194 members voting in favour of the fiscal framework and 182 against it.

The ANC got the budget passed with the backing of ActionSA, Build One South Africa, the Patriotic Alliance, IFP, UDM and other minority parties. The DA, FF Plus, EFF, MK Party and several other parties voted against it.

“It is unthinkable that ActionSA has handed this VAT hike to the ANC on a platter, and it is both unlawful and unconstitutional how parliament processed the budget,” Steenhuisen said.

“We look forward to this matter being addressed in court, for the benefit of all South Africans who do not agree with this budget. The DA refuses to give in to the ANC’s tax increases. They remain hell-bent on making people poorer.”

He criticised parties that voted in support of the budget saying they have “collectively chosen to make life more expensive for South Africans”.

“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.

“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.”

On Tuesday the standing committee on finance adopted the fiscal framework and revenue proposals report on the budget. ActionSA's proposal to remove the VAT hike and keep personal income tax in line with inflation was supported by the ANC and the IFP.

Steenhuisen said parliament's finance committee sitting was not compliant with the standing rules of parliament, as the fiscal framework was not put to the committee to approve or reject it.

“This legal shortcoming was carried forward into the National Assembly today [Wednesday]. 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 in his March 12 budget speech have now been adopted by the National Assembly.”

The EFF said it's also consulting its legal team on appropriate measures to challenge the adoption of the fiscal framework and revenue proposals.

“Parliament cannot and must not become a rubber stamp for illegality. We will use every democratic and legal means available to ensure accountability, constitutional compliance, and a people-centred fiscal policy,” EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said.

“We are vindicated in our stance. What transpired in parliament today is not only a violation of procedure, but a political crisis that has laid bare the fragility and incoherence of the GNU. The EFF has shown, once again, that we are the only consistent voice of opposition to austerity, neoliberalism and institutional decay.”

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