Alternatives to Austerity: Revenue options to raise the maximum available resources

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) asserts that South Africa has failed to mobilise its maximum available resources, leading to unnecessary cuts in social service spending. The brief proposes a shift toward proactive resource mobilisation, specifically through taxing wealth and financial transactions, restoring Corporate Income Tax rates, and reducing tax exemptions for the wealthy. It further suggests renegotiating debt terms and leveraging reserves to create a more equitable economic framework and fulfill constitutional and international socioeconomic obligations.

• The South African government has failed to mobilise the maximum available resources, resulting in the National Treasury cutting social service spending over the last ten years due to cited fiscal constraints.
• There are significant untapped revenue streams totaling billions of units of currency, which could be accessed by taxing wealth and financial transactions, reinstating Corporate Income Tax rates, and eliminating tax breaks and ineffective incentives for the wealthy.
• South Africa is legally obligated by its Constitution and international agreements to use all feasible means to meet its socioeconomic responsibilities, necessitating a shift toward proactive resource mobilisation and prudent debt management.

APA

iej_admin (2024). Alternatives to Austerity: Revenue options to raise the maximum available resources. Institute for Economic Justice. https://iej.org.za/resource/policy-brief/policy-brief-revenue-options-to-raise-the-maximum-available-resources/

Chicago

iej_admin. Alternatives to Austerity: Revenue options to raise the maximum available resources. Institute for Economic Justice, 2024. https://iej.org.za/resource/policy-brief/policy-brief-revenue-options-to-raise-the-maximum-available-resources/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=iej_admin |title=Alternatives to Austerity: Revenue options to raise the maximum available resources |publisher=Institute for Economic Justice |date=22 February 2024 |url=https://iej.org.za/resource/policy-brief/policy-brief-revenue-options-to-raise-the-maximum-available-resources/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{iejadmin2024alternatives, author = {iej\_admin}, title = {{Alternatives to Austerity: Revenue options to raise the maximum available resources}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://iej.org.za/resource/policy-brief/policy-brief-revenue-options-to-raise-the-maximum-available-resources/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }