ATC210512: Report of the Standing Committee on Finance on Budget Vote 8: National Treasury, Dated 11 May 2021

Finance Standing Committee

REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FINANCE ON BUDGET VOTE 8: NATIONAL TREASURY, DATED 11 MAY 2021

 

The Standing Committee on Finance (SCOF/ the Committee), having considered the National Treasury and the South African Revenue Service’sannual performance plans (2021/22), reports as follows:

 

1. INTRODUCTION
   1. The Minister of Finance tabled the annual performance plans of the National Treasury (NT), the South African Revenue Services (SARS) and other entities under the Finance portfolio in line with section 10(1)(c) of the Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act, Act No. 9 of 2009 (Money Bills Act), for consideration and report.
   2. The Deputy Minister, Dr. David Masondo, and the accounting and senior officials of National Treasury and SARS, through a virtual meeting,briefed SCOF on 04-05May 2021.
   3. The mandate of NT is based on section 216 (1) of the Constitution which establishes it to ensure transparency, accountability and sound financial controls in the management of the country’s finances and on the Public Finance Management Act of 1999 (PFMA). 
   4. Its mandate is to coordinate intergovernmental financial and fiscal relations, promote national government’s fiscal policy and coordination of macroeconomic policy, enforce transparency and effective management of revenue and expenditure, assets and liabilities, public entities and constitutional institutions, manage the budget preparation process and, ensure the stability and soundness of the financial system and financial services.
   5. SARS’s mandate isto contribute to the economic and social development of the country by collecting all taxes, duties and levies due to fund public service programs and priorities.

 

1. POLITICAL OVERVIEW BY THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE
   1. The Deputy Minister of Finance reminded the Committee of the priorities of government as articulated by the President in the State of the Nation, earlier this year. He said that government needed to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic, as this would free the country from added economic stress. He said that defeating the corona-virus pandemic would enable the country to focus on economic recovery.
   2. Dr.Masondo explained that through the fiscal policy, the National Treasury is working very hard to ensure that it contains debt and debt-service costs. He said that debt negatively impacted on investment as it is drawn through the same pool of savings from hard-working South Africans. He said that debt was not in the interest of economic recovery as it ‘crowds out’ investments in the private sector.
   3. He committed that the Ministrywould work hard to ensure capacity to extract revenue and to implement structural reforms through Operation Vulindlela. He, again, informed members that plans were ongoing to establish the State Bank. He said that setting up the State Bank has taken time because of consultation with other departments and clusters.
   4. Speaking the next day on the presentation of SARS’s annual performance plan, Dr.Masondo told members that SARS had collected R38 billion more than expected in the previous year. He said that this achievement was cancelled-out by the expenditure that was far above revenue. He said that the national budget deficit wasnow at R553 billion and lower than the estimated R603 billion.
   5. Dr.Masondo said that the minor improvements in the fiscal situation were insignificant, and SARS should not rest on its laurels. He decried the country’s fiscal situation as poor, with high levels of debt. He told the members that debt was now close to R4 trillion and is projected to increase to as high as R5.2 trillion in 2023/24.
   6.  He stated that the revenue shortfall was high and debt servicing costs were projected to rise. He said that to turn the situation around, the economy needed to grow, as tax was a function of economic growth. He assured members that government was working hard to implement the economic recovery plan.
   7. He said that the critical issues included the fight against COVID-19 and ensuring a reliable supply of electricity. He stated that the South African economy remained largely suppressed, despite signs of recovery. He emphasised the issue of public confidence in the tax administration and improved administrative measures as these increased the ability to collect revenue. He said that poor management of the tax revenue in the public sector hampered the citizens’ willingness to pay tax.

 

1. OVERVIEW BY ACCOUNTING OFFICERS

NATIONAL TREASURY

1. Mr DondoMogajane, the Director-General of National Treasury, said that a key priority of National Treasury was to transition expenditure from consumption to investment. He said that this would be seen through strategies such as Operation Vulindlela and the Zero-Based Budgeting. Another priority was to manage debt. He said that National Treasury needed to contribute to advancing South Africa’s interests in regional integration and international cooperation.National Treasury then presented the priorities and targets over its nine programmes, which will be discussed below.

 

THE SOUTH AFRICAN REVENUE SERVICE

1. The SARS Commissioner, Mr Edward Kieswetter, emphasised the need for SARS to remain independent and be governed by the law, instead of other influences. He said that tax collection is integral to the fiscal framework. He said that SARS’s role extended to the protection of the country’s borders from illicit flows of goods, people and finance.  He said that the future that SARS will focus on involves people, technology, data, and integrity.
2.  Mr Kieswetter explained that currently, South Africa had an advantage of a stable interest rate and low inflation. He said that the economy has improved slightly over the past six months and this momentum is expected to continue. He explained that a continued stable rand-dollar exchange rate is expected and this is good for imports to the country. He said that this situation, however, is not good for dollar-based revenue such as the export of minerals.
3.  He explained that the state of government debt is aided by improved tax revenue collection. He explained further that this means that there is less need to raise money in the international markets through issuing bonds. He said that the National Treasury had, the previous day, reduced Treasury bonds on the international markets, thus improving South Africa’s fiscal integrity.
4.  Mr Kieswetter said that a notable challenge for government remainedthe illicit economic activities. He said that these activities gained ground during the lockdown in response to COVID-19. He said that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) presented positive aspects, as well as risks for South Africa. He said that opening borders and expanding markets presented opportunities and risks,and the latter arose mainly from the illicit economy. He said that AfCFTAdid not only create a free trade zone, but opened the opportunity for additional risks to the formal economy.
5.  He said that of the three internal factors faced by SARS, adapting to remote working under COVID-19 is the most important. He said that responsible fiscal citizenship is a microcosm of the broader social contract in the country. He highlighted the role of Parliament in engendering trust in legitimate use of public finances.
6.  Mr Kieswetter said that the underfunding previously experienced by SARS compromised its autonomy, and in turn impacted South Africa’s fiscal integrity. He told members that the recruitment freeze at SARS was ending as SARS wasre-hiring critical skills.
   He said that the significance of an adequately funded revenue service would mean that there is little need to increase tax rates in the country.

 

1. OVERVIEW OF THE NATIONAL TREASURY BUDGET AND PROGRAMMES
   1. A total of R41.0billion will be allocated to the National Treasury in 2021/22. The projected allocations for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 are R32.0 and 32.1 billion, respectively. 

TABLE 1: National Treasury Budget Summary 2021/22 MTEF

Programme	Audited outcome			Adjusted appropriation	Average growth rate (%)	Average: Expen- diture/ Total (%)	Medium-term expenditure estimate			Average growth rate (%)	Average: Expen- diture/ Total (%)
R million	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21	2017/18 - 2020/21		2021/22	2022/23	2023/24	2020/21 - 2023/24
Programme 1: Administration	437.9	424.3	453.6	564.7	8.9%	0.1%	530.7	535.8	537.7	-1.6%	0.1%
Programme 2: Economic Policy, Tax, Financial Regulation and Research	151.9	138.8	124.9	150.3	-0.3%	0.0%	153.8	157.1	157.5	1.6%	0.0%
Programme 3: Public Finance and Budget Management	2,815.0	2,530.4	2,936.1	2,839.8	0.3%	0.4%	3,929.9	3,844.4	3,801.3	10.2%	0.4%
Programme 4: Asset and Liability Management	10,089.8	91.2	96.7	3,035.3	-33.0%	0.5%	5,117.9	1,118.3	1,118.8	-28.3%	0.3%
Programme 5: Financial Accounting and Supply Chain Management Systems	689.6	771.4	733.9	853.5	7.4%	0.1%	1,082.9	1,122.2	1,075.8	8.0%	0.1%
Programme 6: International Financial Relations	5,469.8	5,807.7	5,458.8	6,398.0	5.4%	0.8%	7,286.2	2,306.2	2,347.9	-28.4%	0.5%
Programme 7: Civil and Military Pensions, Contributions to Funds and Other Benefits	4,618.1	5,020.1	5,487.1	5,469.3	5.8%	0.7%	6,409.5	7,012.1	7,039.0	8.8%	0.8%
Programme 8: Revenue Administration	10,218.2	9,007.2	9,529.0	10,271.9	0.2%	1.3%	11,295.2	10,527.8	10,657.6	1.2%	1.2%
Programme 9: Financial Intelligence and State Security	5,105.6	4,763.5	4,951.1	4,942.9	-1.1%	0.7%	5,249.5	5,381.0	5,411.6	3.1%	0.6%
Subtotal	39,595.8	28,554.6	29,771.2	34,525.7	-4.5%	4.6%	41,055.7	32,004.8	32,147.3	-2.4%	4.1%

Source: National Treasury 2021

 

1. Programme 1: Administration
   1. The Administration programme provides strategic leadership, management and administrative support and capacity building to the National Treasury. A budget of R R530.7 million is allocated in 2021/22, down from an adjusted appropriation of R564.7million in 2020/21. The projected allocations for the outer two financial years of the MTEF are R535.8 and R537.7 million respectively.
   2. The priorities of this programme include: monitoring of the efficiency of ICT by ensuring 90 per cent delivery against the service level agreements; ensuringthe usefulness and reliability of the reported performance information in accordance with the performance management and reporting framework by obtaining an unqualified audit opinion with 25% fewer findings than 2020/21 on financial and nonfinancial performance information; provide support for strategic planning, performance management and reporting across the organisation; ensuring good governance and sound control environment by achieving level 3.5 of the risk management maturity assessment; advance organisational optimisation by utilising 70% of the training and development budget; and producing 4 quarterly progress reports on the extent of mainstreaming and institutionalisation of Women, Youth, Persons with Disabilities (WYPD) in the department through the implementation of the action plan on gender mainstreaming.

 

1. Programme 2: Economic Policy, Tax, Financial Regulation and Research
   1. This programme is dedicated to economic policy research, analysis and advisory services in the areas of macroeconomics, microeconomics, the financial sector, taxation and regulatory reforms. The 2021/22allocation is R153.8, up from 150.3 million in 2020/21. Over the medium term, the budget is projected to grow by 1.6%, to R157.1 and R157.5 million in the two outer years respectively. National Treasury aims to publish 50 research papers through the SA-TIED programme, table financial sector and tax legislation in Parliament, develop four economic forecasts that provide reliable macro-economic projections to aid policy-making, produce four relevant micro and macro-economic research outputs that contribute to the promotion of macroeconomic stability, poverty alleviation, retirement reform, social security and the development of inclusive growth and job creating opportunities.
   2. The National Treasury said it will continue to monitor the external vulnerabilities that are facing the domestic economy and would provide recommendations on how to address them and maintain macro stability that would provide a supportive environment for transformational policies. Among the legislation expected to be tabled are the Financial Matters Amendment Bill, Public Procurement Bill and the Financial Services Laws General Amendment Bill.

 

1. Programme 3: Public Finance and Budget Management
   1. This programme provides analysis and advice on fiscal policy, public finances and, intergovernmental financial relations. It manages the annual budget process and provides public finance management support. It has been expanded to incorporate what was previously programme 8 “Technical Support and Development Finance” in the previous strategic plan.
   2. This programme will be allocated R3,9 billion in 2021/22. The projected allocations are R3,8 billion for each of the outer two years of the 2021/22 MTEF.
   3. The focus of this programme is to contribute to the South African economy by developing, ensuring Cabinet authorisation of and implementing South Africa’s fiscal policy and related frameworks, importantly the budget process. The programme also aims to provide fiscal policy advice by monitoring economic and fiscal trends and advising on policy options and the budget framework. It will also coordinate the national budgeting process which includes coordinating resource allocation to meet strategic priorities set by government in line with a fiscal framework that will ensure sound and sustainable financial policies.
   4. The targets for 2021/22 are to: introduce 3 reforms to enhance provincial and local government fiscal frameworks; implement 5 township economic development strategies; Produce 36 infrastructure plans assessment reports to monitor the ability of provincial departments to improve their infrastructure planning; identify and approve 20 catalytic projects in spatially targeted areas; produce 8 quarterly financial reports to monitor financial and conditional grant performance for all provinces; ensure that requests to draft financial recovery plans are efficiently responded to within 90 days of receipt; provide the Parliament with 4 high level summary reports of quarterly expenditure for all departments; provide support to provincial treasuries to strengthen their oversight and address municipal finance performance failures and; place 80 technical advisors at National Treasury, provincial treasuries and municipalities to provide assistance to all three spheres of government to effectively perform their responsibilities regarding local government financial management compliance, support, monitoring and oversight through the Municipal Finance Improvement Programme (MFIP).

 

1. Programme 4: Asset and Liability Management
   1. The Asset and Liability Management programme manages financial assets, national debt and liquidity requirements of the fiscusin order to facilitate national expenditure and maintain favourable sovereign debt ratings. Over the medium term, the strategic focus of this programme continues to be its oversight of state owned companies (SOCs) by enabling them to meet government’s policy objectives in a financially and fiscally sustainable manner, as well as promote sound corporate governance.
   2. Other targets are to: ensure timely and accurate payment of government debt obligations to avoid any credit defaults; finance government’s gross borrowing requirement over the MTEF and minimise risk emanating from government’s fiscal obligations by measuring performance and ensuring compliance with market and refinancing risk benchmarks; ensure sound management of government’s cash resources by meeting government’s liquidity requirements at all times and; produce 4 reports on the management of government’s contingent liabilities.
   3. This programme’s budget allocation for 2021/22is R5,1 billion, increasing from an adjustment allocation of R3billionthe previous year. It moderates at R1,1 billion for each of the outer financial years of the 2021/22 MTEF, which is a decrease of -28.3%.

 

1. Programme 5: Financial Accounting and Supply Chain Management System
   1. This programme has been allocated R1,0 billion in 2021/22, from R853.5 million the previous year. The projected allocations in the outer financial years of the MTEF are R1,1 and R1.0 billion respectively. The programme seeks to promote effective and efficient government financial management and accountability across the three spheres of government. A major focus has been placed on improving government procurement processes and identifying malpractices as a result of procurement irregularities through the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer sub-programme.
   2. A focus is also on the implementation of the IFMS 2 plan which includes a roll-out of the generic template for accelerated implementation to Lead Sites and Pilot Sites. This programme will also develop and approve policy directives in preferential procurement for institutions to spend by sex/gender, age and disability. Other targets include the implementation of 21 transversal term contracts and the 100% implementation of the strategic sourcing opportunities plan.
2. Programme 6: International Financial Relations
   1. The programme’s mandate is to manage South Africa’s interests in shaping regional and global policies that advance the economic, financial and development objectives of the country and the African continent.
   2. The focus and targets of this programme this year are to: ensure 100% response to all economic surveillance reports; host one advocacy forum to increase the uptake of development finance; produce three country partnership framework progress reports that report on the relationship between the government of South Africa and various Multilateral Development Banks that operate within the Republic of South Africa; produce one analysis report on the outcomes of South Africa’s engagements in regional and global forums; develop policy positions to measure South Africa’s engagement in various global forums and institutions.
   3. This programme has been allocated R7,2 billion in 2021/22. It decreases to R2,3 billion over each of the two outer years of the MTEF, a decrease of -28.4%.

 

1. Programme 7: Civil and Military Pensions, Contribution to Funds and Other Benefits
   1. The mandate of this programme is to ensure that government’s pension and post-retirement medical benefit obligations to former employees of the state and retired military members are fulfilled. Its allocation amounts to R6,4 billion in 2020/21, increasing to R7,0 billion in each of the two outer year of the MTEF.

 

1. Programme 8: Revenue Administration
   1. The Revenue Administration programme receives an allocation of R11,2 billion in 2021/22. In the outer years, the allocations are projected at R10,5and 10,6 billion respectively. The budget allocation is a transfer payment to the South African Revenue Service, which is responsible for administering the country’s revenue system. This programme is discussed further below under SARS’s APP.

 

1. Programme 9: Financial Intelligence and State Security
   1. Financial Intelligence and State Security comprises transfers to the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) to combat financial crimes, including money laundering and terrorism-financing activities. The 2021/22 allocation for the Financial Intelligence Centre and the South African Secret Services is R5,2 billion increasing to R5,3and R5,4 billion in the outer years.

 

1. OVERVIEW OF THE SARS’S BUDGET AND PRIORITIES
   1. SARS receives a transfer from National Treasury under Programme 8. In 2021/22 SARS will be allocated a total budget of R11,2 billion. R44.9 million of this is a grant to the Office of the Tax Ombuds (OTO). The allocation to SARS is projected to decrease to R10,6 billion in 23/24, while the allocation to the OTO will increase to R51.2 million, an increase of 6.4%.

TABLE 2: SARS Budget Summary 2021/22 MTEF

	Audited outcome			Adjusted appropriation	Average growth rate (%)	Average: Expen- diture/ Total (%)	Medium-term expenditure estimate			Average growth rate (%)	Average: Expen- diture/ Total (%)
R million	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21	2017/18 - 2020/21		2021/22	2022/23	2023/24	2020/21 - 2023/24
South African Revenue Service	10,218.2	9,007.2	9,529.0	10,271.9	0.2%	100.0%	11,295.2	10,527.8	10,657.6	1.2%	100.0%
Total	10,218.2	9,007.2	9,529.0	10,271.9	0.2%	100.0%	11,295.2	10,527.8	10,657.6	1.2%	100.0%
Change to 2020 Budget estimate				(238.1)			322.1	(840.2)	(994.6)

Source: National Treasury Budget Vote 8: Table 8.20 Revenue Administration expenditure trends and estimates        

 

1. SARS’s focus continues to be on resolving significant taxpayer disputes, the illicit economy, border management and rebuilding its leadership and organisation.
2. SARS seeks to achieve five key outcomes, namely; Outcome 1: Increased customs and excise compliance, Outcome 2. Increased tax compliance, Outcome 3. Increased ease and fairness in doing business with SARS, Outcome 4. Increased cost-effectiveness and internal efficiencies and, Outcome 5. Increased public trust and credibility. A number of measures/targets have been set for the 2021/22MTEF to achieve these five outcomes.

 

1. OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
   1. The Committee notes the annual performance plans of the National Treasury and SARS and notes their key priorities which were articulated by the Deputy Minister, Dr. David Masondo. The Committee agrees with the Deputy Minister and the government at large that one of the immediate priorities of our time is to defeat the coronavirus pandemic in order to get the economy recovery plan implemented. In this regard, the Committee notes the assurances made during its deliberations on the NT’s annual performance plan that government has set aside R4.35 billion in vaccination funding, with possibilities to augment this should a need arise. The Committee believes that for the vaccine strategy to work, government would need to expedite the testing and approval of other credible vaccines instead of relying on only the current two vaccines.
   2. The Committee notes that besides the Money Bills, the Ministry of Finance plans to table a number of ordinary Bills for processing by Parliament during this year and over the MTEF. These Bills include the FIC Act, the FAIS Act, the SARB Act, the SARS Act, the Cooperative Banks Act, and many others. The Committee requires NT to give it a more workable legislative programme for the year, to enable the Committee to plan accordingly. 
   3. The Committee notes that the Public Procurement Bill might finally be tabled within this financial year, but only in December 2021. In almost all its reports over the past few years, the Committee has been urging the National Treasury to expedite the introduction of this Bill for processing by Parliament. The Committee believes that this Bill will assist in consolidating the fragmented procurement regime in the country, and help to root out corruption within the procurement system, among others. The Committee again urges NT to prioritise this Bill.
   4. The Committee notes the plans by National Treasury on the implementation of the IFMS2 project.The Committee is however aware of the risk that this project might again incur fruitless and wasteful expenditure as it has since the 2016/17 financial year. This project incurred fruitless and wasteful expenditure of R267 million since 2016/17, including R67 million in 2019/20 alone.  The Committee will schedule a separate briefing soon, in order to receive an update on the status of this project and its timeline for completion. In the briefing, the Committee expects to be briefed on the resolution of the recurring adverse audit findings on this project, and all consequence management thereof.
   5.  The Committee notes that there are processes within the National Treasury to implement controls and improve audit outcomes through the audit action plan. We note that a committee of senior NT officials to implement this plan in cooperation with the Auditor-General’s office was established. The Committee believes that the audit action plan should form part of the annual performance plan, with measurable targets and outcomes, and urges the NT to consider this.
   6. The Committee notes the progress reported to the Committee in the filling of critical vacancies in the Department. The Committee noted in its BRRR that, according to the Auditor-General’s report, some of the root causes of poor audit outcomes are as a result of management (accounting officers/authorities and senior management) not responding with the required urgency in addressing identified risks and improving internal controls. Another contributing root cause highlighted by the AGSA however is the instability caused by prolonged vacancies in key positions. In this regard, the Committee urges the Minister of Finance to prioritise the filling of vacancies and acting positions at senior management level in the National Treasury and in the entities across the finance portfolio.
   7.  The Committee welcomes that National Treasury plans to include Operation Vulindlela in its annual performance plan from the next financial year going forward. The Committee further notes that while this is a joint project between National Treasury and the Presidency, there are specific and core business operations performed by the National Treasury that can be measured.  
   8.  The Committee notes that the GTAC has now matured into a fully-fledged programme with a separate planning and reporting process, instead of being a sub-programme. The Committee will invite GTAC inthe next quarterin order to learn more about its plans and work, including on the Jobs Fund and the Municipal Finance Improvement Programme.
   9.  The Committee notes the work of the National Treasury on the funding of anti-gender-based violence efforts under Programme One. In view of the escalation of gender-based violence, especially in rural areas, the Committee would like to be briefed in more detail on this in the next quarterly briefing.
   10. The Committee notes that one of the targets under Programme 3 is to identify and approve 20 catalytic projects in spatially targeted areas. The Committee expects to be briefed more on this project and its expected impact on service delivery, growth and development.
   11. The Committee notes the SA-TIED research initiative, which is a collaboration between the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economic Research, the International Food Policy Research Institute and South African government departments, including the National Treasury. We note further that National Treasury plans to publish 50 research papers through this programme in 2021/22 on such broad themes as enterprise development for job creation, public revenue mobilization for inclusive development, macro-economic modelling, inequality, climate change and energy transitions as drivers for change and regional growth, among others.  The Committee will monitor this target closely as research is key in influencing policy and law-making.
   12. The Committee notes the Deputy Minister’s update on the establishment of the State Bank. The Committee is concerned that there seems to have been no tangible progress in this regard as it received the same update during this time last year. Last year the Committee was informed that the memorandum on the establishment of the State Bank was ready for tabling before Cabinet. The Committee urges the Minister of Finance, and the Deputy Minister as the leader of this project, to expedite this process. It also urges the National Treasury to nudge NEDLAC to put back on its agenda the financial sector transformation summit, which was promised several years ago.
   13. The Committee notes that although ongoing, the pension fund reforms have been quite slow. The Committee also notes that one of the main reasons for the slow progress is the complexity of discussions at Nedlac. The Committee requires NT to brief it on progress being made on these reforms.
   14. The Committee notes the encouraging trajectory of recovery at SARS, given its recent unstable past. The Committee further welcomes the additional revenue of R38 billion collected by SARS in the previous financial year, despite the increased expenditure.
   15. The Committee welcomes the uplifting of the freeze on filling vacancies at SARS and its recruitment drive to fill over 300vacancies and its graduate programme. The Committee believes that this would enable SARS to operate more effectively in collecting revenue and serving the public in the future.
   16. The Committee welcomes the assurance from the SARS Commissioner that SARS would not hesitate to act against anyone who does not comply with the country’s tax laws, no matter their standing, political affiliation or position in society. The Committee further welcomes the assurance that SARS’s case selection methodology is politically neutral and guided mainly by compliance risks.
   17. The Committee notes the commitment from SARS to comply with the minimum requirements within the next five years, in respect to the employment equity of people living with disabilities. The Committee will hold SARS to thiscommitment and targets.
   18.  The Committee is aware that South Africa is one of the few countries that are already collecting VAT from the digital economy and, again, commends this. The Committee recommends that while NT participates on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), it should also work in collaboration with African Tax Administration Forum and the African Union, in order to strengthen the interests of developing countries in the global digital tax regime.  When this global regime is fully developed, the Committee believes that developing countries should be able collect income tax made by big corporates with high economic presence in their jurisdictions.
   19. The Committee notes the comment by the SARS Commissioner to the Committee on 05 May that there is over R400 billion that is owned by South Africans in financial institutionsoutside the country or offshore. In the next quarterly briefing, the Committee requires SARS to brief it on the successes and challenges inimplementing the automatic exchange of information framework.

 

The Standing Committee on Finance accepts Budget Vote 8: National Treasury.

 

Report to be considered.