Report of the Standing Committee on Private Members` Legislative Proposals and Special Petitions on the proposed Political Parties Election Fund Bill, dated 15 November 2005:

The Standing Committee on Private Members` Legislative Proposals and Special Petitions, having considered the proposed Political Parties Election Fund Bill, submitted by Mr. PF Smith and referred to the Committee and, having consulted with the Department of National Treasury and Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), recommends that permission not be given to the member to proceed with the proposal due to the following reasons:

Elections expenses are covered by the present fund.
Extending public funding of political parties to parties represented in municipal councils will probably be unconstitutional.
We cannot support any move towards increasing the public funding of represented political parties, especially by way of the creation of a special election fund, while not affording new and smaller parties some form of assistance with their election expenses.

Report to be considered.