The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have formally submitted alternative revenue-generating proposals to the National Assembly, opposing the proposed Value Added Tax (VAT) increase in South Africa’s 2025 Fiscal Framework and Revenue Proposals.
In a statement released on Monday, 07 April 2025, the EFF confirmed that it had submitted its final proposals on 06 April to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and Standing Committee on Finance Chairperson Joe Maswanganyi. The submission follows their initial inputs made on 02 April during a parliamentary committee session.
According to the EFF, the final proposals reflect the party’s true position, which they argue was misrepresented in the Committee Report adopted by the National Assembly on 03 April. The party criticized the report as a “distorted reflection” of the committee’s proceedings and inconsistent with the Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act.
“The report adopted by the National Assembly remains a distorted reflection of the chain of events of a meeting which was not procedural,” the statement reads.
The EFF accused National Treasury of using a 30-day consultation period as a “political ploy” to create the illusion of public participation while pushing forward a VAT increase that disproportionately impacts the poor. The party further argued that the Treasury’s approach lacks imagination and instead protects corporate interests accused of tax evasion, avoidance, profit shifting, and illicit financial flows.
“Our submission should not be viewed as participating in a farce of a process, but rather as a protest against a regressive economic decision,” the EFF stated.
The party’s comprehensive proposals, now available to the public, outline alternative mechanisms for revenue generation that would avoid increasing VAT. The document can be accessed via https://effonline.org/2025-fiscal-framework.
The statement was issued by national spokespersons Sinawo Thambo and Thembi Msane, with media liaison through Thato Lebyane.
