Renée Bonorchis | Major risks or no-brainers? National Treasury distances itself from reality

The estimates and projections presented by National Treasury in the medium-term budget on Wednesday are highly unlikely to be met, Renée Bonorchis writes.

National Treasury is duty-bound to present the country with what appears to be a workable financial plan for a country floundering amid raging unemployment, rising inflation, a feeble currency, crippling poverty and economic growth so low that it’s barely noticeable to the naked eye.

That’s a hard thing to do. But in its attempt to highlight the not-so-positive positive actions planned – cutting state spending, increasing borrowing and hiking taxes – that National Treasury has had to come up with a list of risks to the economy that don’t include cutting state spending, increasing borrowing and hiking taxes.