Minister of Tourism Lindiwe Sisulu has revealed that the introduction of a Basic Income Grant (BIG) is on the cards. Sisulu, who serves on the African National Congress (ANC) Social Transformation Subcommittee revealed that the government is working on finding a sustainable way to introduce a BIG with the country’s constrained resources.
Speaking ahead of the ANC’s policy conference, Sisulu said the introduction of the grant is crucial in ensuring that vulnerable South Africans who don’t have any resources can receive this support.
The minister explained that the ANC’s Social Transformation Subcommittee was instrumental in the implementation of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant in 2020.
The grant was introduced to ensure that unemployed individuals who could not seek employment during the Covid-19 lockdown received some support.
“We were the committee that actually made it possible for us to provide our people during their lockdown with the R350 (Grant) as an interim measure for their sustainability and we realise as we were discussing this matter that it was possible to go beyond that and deal with the basic income grant” explained Sisulu.
They explained that several meetings have taken place with the National Treasury to determine if it would be possible to introduce the BIG during the current economic situation and the limited resources available. A further extension to the SRD grant is also being discussed.
Sisulu says that finance minister Enoch Godongwana will deliver the final verdict on their BIG proposal as it would impact the country’s budget. Experts have warned that the introduction of BIG would result in tax increases. Click Here To Read More.
