By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has applied to join the Democratic Alliance (DA) in its bid to stop the implementation of a value-added tax (VAT) increase.
DA filed papers in the Western Cape High Court to challenge the legality of the Budget process, seeking an interdict to stop South African Revenue Service (SARS) from implementing the VAT hike on May 1.
The legal action seeks to suspend the report of the standing committee on finance of the 2025 fiscal framework, pending the finalisation of the Part B application and interdict its implementation.
The party also seeks to suspend the operation of finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s announcement of the VAT hike based on the constitutionality of the Minister’s power to raise VAT by announcing it in his Budget speech.
Last week the National Assembly adopted the 2025 Fiscal Framework as tabled by Godongwana.
In a statement, the EFF says Parliament cannot be a rubber stamp for the Executive. The peoples money must be handled lawfully, transparently, and in line with democratic processes.
“The committee did not make the recommendations required by section 8(5) of the Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act, and no deliberations or formal vote on the report took place before it was tabled in the National Assembly specifically on this matter. Instead, the framework of the statement was inserted post adoption of the report. What was passed in the National Assembly was, therefore, not a lawful report, but a document pushed through in violation of the Constitution and the Money Bills Act.”
EFF called for apartheid and trust taxes, stimulus fund in fiscal framework plan. A fiscal stimulus of R512.8 billion between 2025/26 and 2027/28.
The party also called for the National Treasury to slap the corporates with 1.5 percentage point in the 2025/26 financial year, which will be bumped by another by another 2 percentage point in 2026/27, taking the total CIT to 30.5%.
Meanwhile EFF wants an immediate explanation for the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and police, to Matatiele, in the Eastern Cape, where protestors are demanding justice following the alleged rape of a seven-year-old child.
The EFF condemned in the “strongest possible terms the unlawful deployment” of the SANDF, saying Parliament must not be complicit in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s “descent into authoritarianism”.
The party said this deployment appeared to have occurred without the constitutionally required communication from the President to Parliament.
“As per Section 201(2) and 201(3) of the Constitution, the President must inform Parliament of the reasons, scope, and duration of any military deployment, however, no such correspondence has been made public,” the EFF explained.
ActionSA affirmed that, to date, no such notice to Parliament had been furnished.
The parties have written to Speaker of National Assembly Thoko Didiza demanding urgent answers on what they termed the “unlawful deployment” of the SANDF.