Cape Town Mayor Patricia De Lille tabled a R49.1 billion budget for the 2018/19 year, announcing some shock tariff increases.
De Lille propose that ratepayers should be subject to the following increases for municipal services:
- Property rates up by 7.20%;
- Electricity up by 8.1 %
- Water up by 26.9%
- Sanitation up by 26.9%
- Refuse up by 5.7%.
ACDP councillor Grant Haskin says the increases are exorbitant and unaffordable.
He says that De Lille’s proposed budget seems excessive and needs to reviewed in order to cut out unnecessary expenses.
This is very unaffordable for most, if not all, of the people of Cape Town.— Grant Haskin, ACDP leader
The numbers sound impressive but it’s unaffordable for people to face a 26.9% increase on water and sanitation services, on top the money are already paying as rate payers. — Grant Haskin, ACDP leader
Cape Town has become an unaffordable place to live in.— Grant Haskin, ACDP leader
The total proposed budget for the upcoming financial year is a total of R49,1 billion with R39,8 billion on the operating budget and R9,2 billion for capital expenditure.
Haskin says councillors will spend the next month scrutinising the budget to prioritise projects and use funds effectively.
The public has been called to comment on the budget.
Article source: www.capetalk.co.za
Yeah, the bureaucratic trend continues. Government has two avenues available to make financial ends meet: reduce expenditure and\or increase income. Reducing expenditure requires considerable effort, knowledge and skill. Unfortunately too much asked from government officials. Increasing income is really an easy and attractive option. No effort required, except for enduring the complaints of an unhappy public. But after a few weeks the protests subside and life returns to its burdensome normal. I am afraid the latter trend has established itself so well and firmly in government that we will not see a relief of taxation pressures for decades to come.