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South Africans want new Finance Minister Tito Mboweni to revise the ministerial handbook, sack Public Investment Corporation CEO Dan Matjila and introduce a wealth tax.
Mboweni on Friday night sent out a tweet calling for ideas from South Africans about what they want to be announced at the mini budget on Wednesday, October 24.
"Let us do something unusual which will annoy the Establishment. If you were Minister of Finance, what would you announce on Wednesday next week. It is time for the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS). Over to you. Don’t tell the Establishment about this tweet!!," Mboweni tweeted.
Among those who responded include Advocate Thuli Madonsela, UDM leader Bantu Holomisa and head of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, Wayne Duvenage.
Madonsela commended Mboweni for his consistent democratic approach and pitched chicken to be VAT exempt- among other suggestions. "It’s (Chicken) eaten more by the poor than many VAT insulated items; reduce perks for ministers, MPs/senior public employees and invest in enterprise-development and inequality reduction," she tweeted.
READ: Mini budget: Treasury expected to weigh in on zero-rated items
Holomisa was frank in his response, and said that Mboweni's call would really only be relevant for the National Budget in February – over which the minister would have more input. "Comrade Tito your question is relevant for next year’s budget given that you will just be reading Nene’s inherited speech. The country would be happy if u can suspend PIC CEO who was protected by Nene. Good luck!," he tweeted.
The UDM had called for Mboweni's predecessor Nhlanhla Nene to remove Public Investment Corporation head Dan Matjila amid growing allegations of corruption at the investment manager.
OUTA's Duvenage asked for zero tax increases. "Seriously consider the idea of zero increases in taxes and levies because Govt will be instructed to find the money it needs by reducing waste, corruption and its bloated size."
Actor Hlomla Dandala asked that the state stop allocating funds to correctional facilities. "From today onwards the state will not pay a cent towards correctional Facilities.
"Each convict pays rent for their cell, their prison guard, the food they eat and the clothes they wear. Rent is paid in cash contributions from the estate of the prisoner (white collar criminals) or... paying for lodgings, food and security. They must work the regular 45 - 60hrs a week that everyone else in the country works. I imagine that will save the discus (fiscus) plenty of cash," he tweeted.
A twitter user @Tioranta asked Mboweni to tax the rich and use the revenue to set up essential infrastructure" for the poor.
"People don't have water, sanitation, electricity, and other public goods in SA. A national disgrace. Get the basics right. Christo Wiese has been now charged twice by SARS for over R2Bn. That's a joke," he tweeted.
Another user Odi Losaba asked for the ministerial handbook to be revised so that ministers are only allowed to drive cars worth R700 000 at most.
Mboweni's tweet had garnered over 2 100 responses by midday on Saturday, including over 1 600 retweets and more than 3 000 likes.
Read more suggestions to Mboweni here:
In a separate tweet on Friday night, Mboweni distinguished the National budget to be about revenue collection, expenditure and debt management.
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