Institute for Economic Justice submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights’ Roadmap for Eradicating Poverty Beyond Growth

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) submitted a matrix of policy recommendations to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights. The submission advocates for a shift away from regressive fiscal policies and growth-dependent poverty eradication, proposing instead a comprehensive social protection floor, progressive taxation, and the democratization of the budget process in South Africa, alongside global reforms to the World Bank and IMF.

• The IEJ recommends that South Africa reject the proposed 1 percentage point VAT increase in the 2025/26 National Budget Statement, arguing that such a move is "regressive and will counteract any pro-poor spending increases." To increase spending on public services and social protection, the IEJ suggests alternative progressive measures, including raising the Corporate Income Tax (CIT) rate back to at least 28%, removing tax breaks for high-income earners, and utilizing the Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserve Account (GFECRA), which contains over R300 billion.
• The submission calls for the establishment of a comprehensive social protection floor in South Africa. This includes providing basic income support for adults aged 18-59 that is permanent, guaranteed, and lacks conditionalities. Specifically, the IEJ proposes increasing the Child Support Grant (CSG) and the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant to at least the food poverty line (FPL) in the short term, and eventually to the upper bound poverty line (UBPL). The IEJ explicitly rejects proposals from the World Bank and National Treasury to make grants for working-age adults conditional on job-seeking, citing a structural unemployment rate of over 40%.
• The IEJ advocates for the democratization of the budget process in South Africa to challenge the "outsized role" of the National Treasury. It notes that Parliament has never amended the National Budget as determined by the Treasury despite having the legal power to do so. Additionally, the IEJ urges the government to reject the "fiscal anchor"—binding fiscal rules requiring a primary budget surplus—which it claims would limit the ability to tackle intersecting challenges and realize rights.
• On a global level, the IEJ calls for the World Bank and IMF to abandon recommendations for narrow targeting and conditionality in social protection. It supports a global wealth tax on billionaires to fund poverty eradication, specifically endorsing a proposal made by Brazil during its 2024 G20 Presidency for a 2% tax on billionaires to fund Agenda 2030 priorities.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (n.d.). Institute for Economic Justice submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights’ Roadmap for Eradicating Poverty Beyond Growth. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IEJ-Subsmission-Matrix-policy-action-Beyond-Growth-Roadmap_UNSREP.docx-1-1.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. Institute for Economic Justice submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights’ Roadmap for Eradicating Poverty Beyond Growth. n.d. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IEJ-Subsmission-Matrix-policy-action-Beyond-Growth-Roadmap_UNSREP.docx-1-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=Institute for Economic Justice submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights’ Roadmap for Eradicating Poverty Beyond Growth |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IEJ-Subsmission-Matrix-policy-action-Beyond-Growth-Roadmap_UNSREP.docx-1-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{instituteforeconomicjusticendinstitute, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{Institute for Economic Justice submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights’ Roadmap for Eradicating Poverty Beyond Growth}}, publisher = {Institute for Economic Justice}, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IEJ-Subsmission-Matrix-policy-action-Beyond-Growth-Roadmap_UNSREP.docx-1-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }