Thread by @NeilColemanSA

As we go into tomorrows budget policy statement, it is useful to reflect on a #UN report which warns against the dangers of #austerity in South Africa.
A thread on the #MTBPS:

#UN report👇
tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treat…

@SECTION27news @Zwelinzima1 @GiladIsaacs @social_rights

Following its first review of SA, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has called on the government to review its fiscal policies in order for the country to meet its human rights obligations and achieve greater levels of economic redistribution.

Citing “unacceptably high levels of ...inequalities” persisting since apartheid,the Comm said inadequate “personal &corporate income taxes, capital gains &transaction taxes, inheritance tax, &property tax, dont enable [SA]to mobilize the resources required to reduce inequalities”

This is having a “serious impact on the ability of the State party to meet its obligation to mobilize the maximum available resources for the implementation of economic, social and cultural rights,” according to the Committee.

Civil society submissions lay bare the impacts of austerity, regressive taxation & corruption on the rights of S Africans. The report of the Committee draws on a submission 👇 presented by @SECTION27news , the @IEJ_SA & @social_rights on 01 October
cesr.org/sites/default/…

The submission of the three organisations is summarised in a factsheet with powerful infographics, outlining the impact of #austerity in SA👇
<cesr.org/factsheet-aust…>

Empirical data make clear the detrimental effects austerity policies &corruption are having on economic &social rights in SA. Spending per person is set to decline for a fourth year in row, straining health and education systems relied upon by the majority of people.

Average class sizes at the poorest public schools have increased in recent years while many health departments are unable to hire doctors or pay suppliers of medical equipment because of budget shortfalls.

During a two-day dialogue with the government delegation the Committee questioned the wisdom of the government’s austerity policy &asked what measures were being taken to avoid low-income households bearing a disproportionate burden of the budget cuts.

In its Concluding Observations, the Committee finds that government is not conducting such assessments and as a result, was at risk of reversing gains made since 1994, “particularly in the health and education sectors.”

The Committee said that tax policies could be more progressive &called on government to “intensify its efforts to combat illicit financial flows & tax avoidance with a view to raising national revenues and increasing reliance on domestic resources”.

Regarding the VAT increase from 14 to 15%, the Committee expressed concern "about the impacts of this increase on low-income households”. It also called for a revision of the Provincial &Local Government Equitable Share Formulas to reduce regional disparities in accessing rights

@GiladIsaacs said policies "do not generate sufficient funds. Business&the wealthy, who've enjoyed large tax reductions,must be taxed at a higher rate...austere debt targets revised &crises plaguing SARS resolved...MTBPS should protect critical social services, not undermine them

@threadreaderapp unroll