Speaker, South Africa has come out as one of the top countries out of 94 assessed in terms of the transparency and accountability of their national Budget process.
According to the International Open Budget Report, which was released just recently, this is an important move up from second place in 2008. South Africa is one of the few countries in the world that provides extensive information about government's budget. That is the ANC.
According to the International Open Budget Report, which is released every two years by the International Budget Partnership, 74 of the 94 countries assessed failed to meet basic standards on transparency and accountability with regard to national budgets. This opens the door for the abuse and inappropriate and inefficient use of public money.
However, South Africa, New Zealand, the UK, France, Norway, Sweden and the US scored in the top tier in terms of transparency. This report reaffirms the ANC-led government's continued resolve and commitment to transparency and displays how South Africans benefit from government programmes and policies, as well as the manner in which their tax contribution is spent. Thank you. [Applause.]