The Congress of South Africa Trade Unions (Cosatu) has welcomed the government’s decision to lift the country’s national state of disaster and says the focus should now turn to providing permanent financial support to the country’s unemployed.
“The extension of the R350 SRD Grant will provide welcome relief for more than 10 million unemployed persons receiving it. It needs to be made permanent and linked to the food poverty level of R624,” the country’s largest trade federation said. This should provide a foundation for a Basic Income Grant, Cosatu said.
The group, which is a voluntary coalition of civil society organisations, made the suggestion as part of its written submission on the 2022 Division of Revenue Bill to parliament in March.
In its February 2022 budget, the National Treasury said it is still considering proposals around a universal basic income grant for South Africa, but it maintains that it cannot be done in a fiscally irresponsible way. “Any proposals to expand this system need to be fully and appropriately financed by closing existing programmes to free up revenue, or through permanent increases in revenue collection.”
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