In his budget speech, the Minister of Finance mentioned that there was an amount of R6 billion out of budget in respect of the NHI. The Committee raised questions about where this money would come from. The National Department of Health reported that the amount was for future purposes. It added that the amount had not been allocated and that the National Treasury still had to determine where this money would come from. The National Department of Health pointed out that one of the critical decisions the country needed to make in respect of the NHI was the decision on how the NHI would be funded. The National Department of Health noted that the Value Added Tax (VAT) would place too much burden on the poor and it could therefore not be an option for consideration.