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Cape Town - Those who attend state functions will in future have to go without alcohol.
It is part of cost-cutting by government from cabinet level down to the whole public service.
Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan said in his mini budget speech, presented in parliament on Wednesday, that the cabinet has taken the lead in showing commitment to eliminating wasteful government expenditure by issuing cost containment instructions to executives at all three government levels.
The instructions will apply to the broader public sector, and according to the budget document “parliament and the public will be invited to help monitor compliance”.
It will be applied to purchasing standards for official cars, the renting of cars, travel and accommodation of political office bearers and civil servants, consultancy, catering, entertainment and conference budgets.
Gordhan said the price of official cars will be standardised and security matters will be scrutinised when politicians are travelling.
The issue of credit cards to various officials will be stopped with immediate effect, but the other measures will apply from December 1 this year.
With regard to travel, the size of delegations will be looked at as will be the cost of movements between Pretoria and Cape Town, because of SA’s two capital arrangement.
Departments will also be requested to have a reduction plan on consultancy spending by the March 31 next year.
At a press conference before delivering his speech, Gordhan said he could not put numbers to possible or expected saving, but “it could be in the billions if you take into account that state expenditure on communication is around R9bn a year”.
He denied that the announcement of the savings plan had anything to do with next year’s elections.
- Fin24
It is part of cost-cutting by government from cabinet level down to the whole public service.
Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan said in his mini budget speech, presented in parliament on Wednesday, that the cabinet has taken the lead in showing commitment to eliminating wasteful government expenditure by issuing cost containment instructions to executives at all three government levels.
The instructions will apply to the broader public sector, and according to the budget document “parliament and the public will be invited to help monitor compliance”.
It will be applied to purchasing standards for official cars, the renting of cars, travel and accommodation of political office bearers and civil servants, consultancy, catering, entertainment and conference budgets.
Gordhan said the price of official cars will be standardised and security matters will be scrutinised when politicians are travelling.
The issue of credit cards to various officials will be stopped with immediate effect, but the other measures will apply from December 1 this year.
With regard to travel, the size of delegations will be looked at as will be the cost of movements between Pretoria and Cape Town, because of SA’s two capital arrangement.
Departments will also be requested to have a reduction plan on consultancy spending by the March 31 next year.
At a press conference before delivering his speech, Gordhan said he could not put numbers to possible or expected saving, but “it could be in the billions if you take into account that state expenditure on communication is around R9bn a year”.
He denied that the announcement of the savings plan had anything to do with next year’s elections.
- Fin24
