The ANC will not be not be coerced into saying whether it will support a budget proposal that contains a VAT increase. This is the assertion by the ANC’s Parliamentary Chief Whip, Mdumiseni Ntuli.

Ntuli was speaking to Radio 786 ahead of the expected tabling of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s budget on Wednesday afternoon.

The session was postponed from last month due to contention amongst so-called Government of National Unity (GNU) members over the 2% VAT increase that would have been tabled in February.

Ntuli says that the ANC will support a budget that addresses poverty, inequality, and providing finances to cover the salaries of essential workers like those in the education and health sectors.