Hon House Chair, as a result of the ANC government mismanagement, looting and corruption, we find ourselves in an economic crisis. Due to limited job opportunities, insignificant economic growth, the tax base is small and the social expenditure great. This together with the exorbitant Wage Bill leads to excessive government debt along with the interest on this debt pushing the country closer and closer to the fiscal cliff.
We welcome, hon Chairperson, the tax relieves provided to personal income tax payers, but South Africans, Chairperson, remain overtaxed and underwhelmed.
This government only collect tax but does not earn tax. The government must earn its revenue. Lets me take for example, the Road Accident Fund, citizens contribute to the Road Accident Fund but when they have a claim, when they are victims over Road Accident, they cant claim, it takes years and years to payout. Citizens pay rates and taxes but yet they find sewerage running in their streets, parks are also dry along and no infrastructure maintenance or development.
When a citizen who pays tax in some form or another is sick, they find substandard healthcare and hospitals will become more hoax rather than places which actually contributes to healing them. When they contribute to Unemployment Insurance Fund, UIF, and they are unemployed, it takes months to payout and it does not actually benefit them. They are not even to speak about the compensation fund.
We had policy uncertainty in South Africa which create an environment where no investor will actually invest and can be sure of return on his investment.
The government is kept ransom by their own alliance partners and their own ideology. Will Congress of SA Union, Cosatu, and their affiliates allow the necessary wage cuts and the restructuring of SOC's like Eskom and the SA Airways, SAA? I think not.
We need a conducive environment for the private sector to invest, grow and create jobs. That means get rid of restrictive legislation and policy directions creating investor uncertainty. Stop the policy of expropriation without compensation. [Interjections.] You see hon Chairperson, the ruling party uses redress as a disguise for cadre deployment and corruption. Under the disguise of redress, the elite got richer and the poor poorer. The elite got richer and the poor poorer. The masses out there are still poor and you're political connected and your cadres got richer.
Stop allowing the exploitation of government; say we are not going to fly business class anymore, it's not the solution because an economic class ticket bought by or procured by the department caused more than a business class ticket procured by no more citizens, why, because you allow entrepreneurs to exploit the government. That's what necessary.
We need public service appointments on merit and people that will actually do the job. Stop performance bonuses to officials that are not performing and then we can save the economy. But the government should start earning tax and not only collecting it. Give return to the citizens of South Africa. The people are tired of funding your corruption and you're looting. I thank you. [Applause.]