The Division of Revenue Amendment Bill seeks to align the State’s spending with the nations priorities.
It is about determining equitable slices of the revenue pie for national, provincial and local departments to maximise the impact of state spending on improving the lives of the people and the environment in which they live.
In a constrained economy, once budget divisions are agreed, the next step is to ensure that each Rand allocated is appropriately spent.
The number one tool for holding those who hold the purse strings at all levels of government accountable is transparency.
The more government business is open to scrutiny the less space for misspending and corruption.
Just earlier, the Auditor General announced that South Africa’s national and provincial government has an irregular expenditure that has grown to R62 billion from R51 billion with further material losses at R2.8 billion.
With this disappointing audit it is time to stop talking and institute better systems of accountability and transparency.
Such systems will help us emerge stronger from our economic crisis, and contribute to avoiding recurrences in future.
GOOD calls on all departments to put systems in place to prevent and detect corruption.
This can be done by putting in:
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Reactive Controls
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Corrective Controls
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Internal Prevention controls and;
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Supply chain management controls.
Speaker, we all talk about the fourth industrial revolution and therefore we must use technology like Blockchain in supply chain management systems.
GOOD also calls on Government departments to implement contract and consequence management systems.
Those responsible for irregular expenditure must face the consequences for their actions and must be held accountable.
GOOD’s plea to government departments is that there is broad agreement, where and how money should be spent, and that the principles of advancing economic, social, environmental and spatial justice should underpin all actual spending.
GOOD supports the infrastructure grants to municipalities, the health insurance indirect grant; and the school infrastructure backlog grants, amongst others.
In conclusion, GOOD supports the Bill.
I thank you.