Chairperson, the Minister has a difficult job indeed. Whilst government is increasing the social security net indefinitely, and departments and state-owned enterprises, SOEs, are spending money like there is no tomorrow, you have to find more money to spend.
Whilst government's plans to create a growing economy and more jobs are not making real inroads in relation to the winds of entropy and decay, you have to find more fuel to keep the engines going. Whilst we are increasingly facing a state addicted to corruption, nepotism and name-dropping to get rich quick at the expense of the poor and the middle class, you have to stem the tide and the wind blowing good corporate governance into oblivion. It is indeed a difficult job you have, Minister - even more so morally, as you are financing state programmes with other people's money. The money that this government is using, abusing, and allowing to disappear into individuals' pockets is not the government's money. It belongs to the taxpayers and the people of this country in general; and it doesn't seem like you get that message.
Die belastingbetaler het 'n reg dat belastinggeld rasioneel, sinvol en moreel korrek aangewend word. Die algemene bevolking het die reg dat belasting aangewend word vir die goeie, sodat werk geskep kan word. Dit, weet ons, gebeur egter nie na behore nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[The taxpayer has the right to see revenue being appropriated in a rational, sensible and moral manner. The general population has the right to see revenue appropriated for the good, so that employment may be created. We know, however, that this is not really happening.]
You get some things right, but most of the other things not.
Ons gee erkenning aan die Minister vir wat u regkry en vir u harde werk, veral om staatsaankope te polisieer. Minister, laat ek verduidelik hoe ons belasting verder gemors word. U is nou nie direk aanspreeklik vir hierdie probleme nie, maar u beheer die beursie. Daarom het u wel invloed om van die probleme aan te pak. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[We give credit to the Minister for what you are getting right, and your hard work, especially in policing state purchases. Minister, let me explain how our revenue is being wasted further. You may not be directly accountable for these problems, but you are holding the purse strings. That is why you do have some influence on addressing some of these problems.]
You have influence over the problems, as you control the purse.
Ons belasting word eerstens aangewend om te betaal vir duur militre avonture in Afrika wat nie op menseregte nie, maar op duistere agendas gebaseer is. Tweedens, rasgebaseerde arbeids- en besigheidsmaatrels hou die ekonomie terug en skep nuwe slagoffers. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Our revenue is, firstly, employed to pay for expensive military adventures in Africa that are based not on human rights, but on murky agendas. Secondly, racially based labour and business measures are holding back the economy and creating new victims.] Let me further repeat some of the problems I mentioned in last year's debate. A lack of service delivery, as mentioned before, at local government level is increasingly leading to service protests. The Auditor- General has indicated that the central reason for this is the lack of skilled people in local government due to cadre deployment. Wasteful and fruitless expenditure of tax money in all departments continues. Inadequate job-creation strategies and a static tax base is a problem. Most jobs are created by the state and not by private enterprise. There is inadequate policing of crime, corruption and so forth.
Ons wil die Minister graag aanraai om ernstig met sy medeministers hieroor te praat. Indien die effektiewe aanwending van belasting nie daartoe lei dat die ekonomie begin groei nie, gaan ons ekonomie al hoe meer soos 'n piramide-skema begin funksioneer, en dit het waarskynlik al begin. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[We would like to advise the Minister to have serious discussions with his fellow Ministers in this regard. If the effective appropriation of revenue does not lead to growth in the economy, our economy will start to function more and more like a pyramid scheme, and this has probably already started.]
So, let's not become another Greek tragedy. I thank you.