Mboweni wants mini budget delayed a week because of 'complex decisions'

Finance minister Tito Mboweni has asked parliament to reschedule the tabling of the medium term budget policy statement (MTBPS), referred to as the “mini budget”.

The minister wants the speech pushed back a week.

Parliament announced on Tuesday that National Assembly speaker Thandi Modise had received a request from Mboweni for an alternate date of Wednesday October 28 for the tabling of the mini-budget.

Mboweni was scheduled to table the MTBPS on October 21.

“In his correspondence to the speaker, minister Mboweni highlights the recent complex decisions taken by cabinet in respect of the 2020/21 adjusted estimates and the 2021 MTEF [medium term expenditure framework], as well as the implications of the time frames for the finalisation of government’s economic reconstruction and recovery plan on the budget process as reasons necessitating the proposed rescheduling,” parliament said in a statement.

The National Assembly programme committee meeting will consider and finalise the request, said parliament. The committee will meet on Thursday.

During the MTBPS, Mboweni will table the:

• 2020 medium term budget policy statement

• 2020 adjustment estimates of the national expenditure

• Second 2020 Adjustments Appropriation Bill

• Second 2020 Division of Revenue Bill

• 2020 Tax Law Amendment Bill

• 2020 Tax Law Administration Bill and

• 2020 Rates and Monetary Amounts Bill

This is the second year in a row that the MTBPS would be pushed back a week at Mboweni's request. Last year's statement was postponed because of “international commitments” by the finance minister and President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa will address a hybrid joint sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces on Thursday to outline the country's economic reconstruction and recovery plan.

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