National Treasury Research Articles

The road not taken : separation of powers, interim interdicts, rationality review and e-tolling in National Treasury v Opposition to Urban Tolling

The road not taken : separation of powers, interim interdicts, rationality review and e-tolling in <i>National Treasury v Opposition to Urban Tolling</i>

Literary Self-Determination and The Disciplinary Boundaries of Hindi Literature in the Early Twentieth Century

This article examines Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi’s project of literary self-determination, as articulated in two programmatic essays published in the Hindi journal Sarasvati under his editorship (1903–1920), scrutinising his construction of literature as a culturally embedded category of national consequence. His theorisation of Hindi literature as broadly inclusive in terms of its basic definition and function supported the growth of what he considered a national treasury of literature. His discussion of its historical and linguistic parameters and his emphasis on a prioritised plan of literary production, reified the notion of a modern discipline oriented towards a narrowly constructed national collective that sought to establish its sovereign identity via literature in Khari Boli Hindi. Though not explicit in its anti-colonial nationalism, this project nevertheless privileged Hindi as the projected lead language of a modern sovereign nation, with all the risks that delimitation entailed.

A critical analysis of the barriers to entry for small business owners imposed by Sections 12E(4)(a)(iii) and (d) and paragraph 3(b) of the Sixth Schedule Of The Income Tax Act, No. 58 of 1962

According to National Treasury’s Explanatory Memorandum on the Revenue Laws Amendment Bill, 2008, small businesses in South Africa are instrumental in the growth of the South African economy as they are a source of job creation and a counter to poverty. Research, however, indicates that small businesses face many obstacles, such as relatively high tax compliance costs. It was, therefore, proposed in the 2008 Budget Review that a turnover tax system be implemented for micro businesses with a turnover of up to R1 million per annum to simplify the tax compliance process. Similarly, section 12E was introduced earlier in the Income Tax Act No. 58 of 1962 to offer additional income tax relief to small business owners. Sections 12E(4)(a)(iii) and (d) and paragraph 3(b) of the Sixth Schedule, however, prevent certain small business owners from making use of these concessions. This article investigates these barriers to entry and explores possible solutions to the problems presented by them.

Systematic review of studies evaluating the broader economic impact of vaccination in low and middle income countries

BackgroundMost health economic evaluations of childhood vaccination only capture the health and short-term economic benefits. Measuring broader, long-term effects of vaccination on productivity and externalities could provide a more complete picture of the value of vaccines.MethodMEDLINE, EconLit and NHS-EED databases were searched for articles published between January 1990 and July 2011, which captured broader economic benefits of vaccines in low and middle income countries. Studies were included if they captured at least one of the following categories on broader economic impact: outcome-related productivity gains, behaviour-related productivity gains, ecological externalities, equity gains, financial sustainability gains or macroeconomic benefits.ResultsTwenty-six relevant studies were found, including observational studies, economic models and contingent valuation studies. Of the identified broader impacts, outcome-related productivity gains and ecological externalities were most commonly accounted for. No studies captured behaviour-related productivity gains or macroeconomic effects. There was some evidence to show that vaccinated children 8–14 years of age benefit from increased cognitive ability. Productivity loss due to morbidity and mortality was generally measured using the human capital approach. When included, herd immunity effects were functions of coverage rates or based on reduction in disease outcomes. External effects of vaccines were observed in terms of equitable health outcomes and contribution towards synergistic and financially sustainable healthcare programs.ConclusionDespite substantial variation in the methods of measurement and outcomes used, the inclusion of broader economic impact was found to improve the attractiveness of vaccination. Further research is needed on how different tools and techniques can be used in combination to capture the broader impact of vaccination in a way that is consistent with other health economic evaluations. In addition, more country level evidence is needed from low and middle income countries to justify future investments in vaccines and immunization programs. Finally, the proposed broader economic impact framework may contribute towards better communication of the economic arguments surrounding vaccine uptake, leading to investments in immunization by stakeholders outside of the traditional health care sector such as ministries of finance and national treasuries.

Offline: Universal coverage, universally

The annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank are no place for health activists. This exclusive gathering of finance ministers and bankers, seasoned with economists and development experts, is dominated by capital markets and sovereign risk, debt sustainability and strengthening the Euro. Not this year. Last week, in Tokyo, the doors of the Fund and the Bank were opened to you. Thanks to the Government of Japan (and specifically Professor Keizo Takemi), global health was, for the first time, an important theme of the seminar programme for tired delegates. Two events focused on health. One, which included Chris Murray and Sania Nishtar, examined the case for investing in health. Why should national treasuries be asked to throw their resources into a bottomless pit that is health? A second seminar, featuring Margaret Chan and Nisha Agrawal, reviewed the opportunities and lessons of universal health coverage, “the single most important concept in public health today” (as Dr Chan noted earlier this year). This meeting was planned over a year ago, long before Jim Kim was welcomed as President of the World Bank. But since he is a self-declared health activist and someone who is on record as saying he wants his term as Bank President to be judged by progress made in women's and children's health, one can see how those of us who work in health might just be a little excited by this extraordinary astrology of events.

The Niger Delta Environmental Crisis in Nigeria: A Perspective Analysis

This study gives a perspective analysis of the Niger Delta Environmental Crisis in Nigeria. Right from the time the first oil well was struck in 1956 in Oloibiri, an Ijaw town in the present day Bayelsa State, till now, oil has become the mainstay of the Nigerian economy accounting for about 98% of her annual earnings; while numerous multinational oil companies have been attracted to the region to exploit oil with reckless abandon regardless of its impacts on the inhabitants of the region. The constant environmental disarticulation occasioned by oil exploration has resulted in widespread indignation and youth restiveness in the region. Behavioural proclivities associated with oil exploration include sealing of production sites, vandalising oil installations including pipelines and hostage taking and demand for ransom. This erratic behaviour has negative impact on the production of oil and constitutes a serious liquidity problem to all levels of government as it interrupts the steady flow of capital to the national treasury and constitutes a security threat to governance at all levels. The paper is rounded off with recommendations tailored towards combating the imbroglio and the conclusion.Keywords: Environmental, Crisis, Oil Spillage, Gas Flaring, Amnesty

Financing for public Veterinary Services to ensure that they meet international standards

It is vital that public Veterinary Services develop the skills to address the challenging questions posed by national Treasury officials, who exercise an important mandate to ensure that expenditures are efficient and effective in serving the public interest. Examples of such questions are considered in this paper, along with systems and strategies for preparing for such reviews, including the use of the Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) evaluation tools of the World Organisation for Animal Health. Some lessons and observations are drawn from PVS Evaluation and PVS Gap Analysis missions in nine countries.

Introduction

AbstractThe new education must be less concerned with sophistication than compassion. It must recognize the hazards of tribalism. It must teach man the most difficult lesson of all—to look at someone anywhere in the world and be able to see the image of himself. The old emphasis upon superficial differences that separate peoples must give way to education for citizenship in the human community. With such an education and with such self‐understanding, it is possible that some nation or people may come forward with the vital inspiration that men need no less than food. Leadership on this higher level does not require mountains of gold or thundering propaganda. It is concerned with human destiny. Human destiny is the issue. People will respond.Norman CousinsThe preceding quote provides a powerful message grounded in the idea that our world is becoming increasingly smaller and it is becoming increasingly difficult to make local decisions without global consequences. However, Cousins' quote also indicates the complexity and enormity of the issues facing leadership. To address the development of intercultural communities through humanistic means, leaders will be challenged to create innovative paradigms and practices along with educational curricula that will create the impetus for the development of future global leaders.This scenario is further complicated, as leadership educators will be asked to innovate and attend to the needs of their learners within a system of depleted resources. Higher education and corporate training have been forced to endure the reduction of resources stemming from growing economic concerns. Such diminished resources have created a considerable challenge for leadership educators, as they attempt to develop learners who are competent and equipped with the skills to work with intercultural populations. Parsons (2005) wrote that divisions within the federal government have created the need for new alternatives for learning within higher education, as government funds exacerbated by domestic spending limitations are now, and will be in the foreseeable future, diverted to other priorities. It is unlikely that leaders like Claiborne Pell or Robert Stafford will be walking through the proverbial door and onto the national landscape anytime soon, considering the depletion of the national treasury and the bipartisan struggles facing Congress. Thus, the plight of our learners will fall to the innovative capacities of our educators to create opportunities for growth through alternative means and innovative practice. Where in the past immersion provided the opportunity for the development of these learners, the future will force educators to consider much different methodologies in an effort to develop the necessary competencies for successful interactions with global populations.This symposium addresses the challenge. The symposium provides a collection of scholarly perspectives exploring innovative practices aimed at preparing learners for the work that they do with intercultural communities. With respect to the competing resource limitations, the symposium specifically addresses innovative practices within nonimmersive contexts. Through the symposium, the authors have addressed the cognitive, behavioral, and affective competencies that aspiring leaders need to be successful in global contexts. The following contributions focus on the importance, issues, and methods of developing global competence as a vital piece of leadership education.

ANÁLISE DO DISCLOSURE DOS PRECATÓRIOS PÚBLICOS: INFLUÊNCIA DA LEGISLAÇÃO E FUNDAMENTOS DA TEORIA CONTÁBIL

The purpose of the present study is to analyze the accounting disclosure of judicial payments warrants (precatorios, issued when governmental entities are found liable for pecuniary awards in lawsuits) according to accounting theory, and to verify if the current legislation interferes in the accounting treatment of these instruments. In this sense, we performed a documental and literature review about the legal framework and accounting procedures adopted, as well gathered data from the National Treasury Secretariat Data Collection System (SISTN) in the period 2004-2009 and consulted a study carried out by the Supreme Court (STF) in 2004. The study’s justification is based on the perception that over than a half of judicial payment warrants are not registered in the public accounts. Consequently, whereas these warrants (i) vested rights of the plaintiffs and (ii) debts of the public entity, the lack of accounting disclosure jeopardizes both the beneficiary, whose right is not reflected in the public accounts, thus casting doubt on the expectation to receive payment, and government managers and society, who do not have reliable information that allows effective management. The innovation of this paper consists of discussing identification of the appropriate moment of the generating event of the underlying debts and the proposal of disclosure considering the risk classification. In conclusion, the influence of the current legislation and the failure to observe accounting fundamentals are among the likely factors that have affected the proper accounting of judicial payment warrants within the Brazilian public administration.

Food taxes: what type of evidence is available to inform policy development?

Summary Once dispatched to the bottom draw of policy options to address unhealthy eating, food taxes now seem back in the out tray of European policy makers. Even David Cameron made an offhand quip recently suggesting that this is something the British Government might explore. While the purpose of developing food taxes is likely their potential to raise money for national treasuries, governments have justified them on health grounds. But, what evidence is available that can inform policy development in this area from a health perspective? Most obvious are the studies that model different scenarios for taxes. Yet these studies form a relatively small part of the potential evidence‐base. The largest proportion of existing research on food prices has simply measured food prices in the marketplace and drawn hypotheses about the dietary implications. Other studies have estimated the costs of actually consumed diets. Another set of studies have quantified an association between price of specific foods and diet from real world data. Others have likewise taken a quantitative approach, but in experimental settings. A particularly large group of studies are qualitative – those asking consumers if and/or how their food choices are influenced by prices. The final type of study combines qualitative and quantitative methods. This paper examines the relevance of these different types of evidence as information for policy development in this area.

Incentives to exclude: the political economy constraining school fee abolition in South Africa

In 2009, the South African Department of Education extended tuition fee abolition to schools serving the poorest 60% of students, increased from 40% in 2007. This policy intends to increase access to and longevity in school for the poorest households by removing fees as a barrier and replacing private revenue with increased state funds. Despite this progressive expansion of fee-free schooling, the reported frequency of non-attendance attributable to school fees increased from 2008 to 2009, particularly among poor females and primary-aged children. This paper attempts to explain this phenomenon by presenting three constraints that hamper the potential benefits of fee abolition: (1) the rationalization of educational expenditures; (2) perverse incentives for schools to exclude non-paying children; and (3) the poor targeting mechanisms of fee abolition and government spending. As a result, we find significant lags in the implementation of fee elimination and that many poor households are still required to pay user fees. Several finance policy options are recommended for the South African schooling system. Data originate from South Africa’s National Treasury and General Household Survey.

A commentary on SARS’ proposed fair value tax on financial instruments

On 5 July 2012 the South African National Treasury released its draft Taxation Laws Amendment Bill, which included the proposed insertion of section 24JB into the Income Tax Act. The proposed section will require all banks, company members of the JSE Securities Exchange (stockbrokers) and hedge funds to include in or deduct from their taxable income amounts in respect of financial assets and financial liabilities (as defined) according to the profit recognised on those instruments in terms of International Financial Reporting Standards. The effect will be to introduce a fair value tax on the financial instruments of those entities, within the scope of the proposed section. This constitutes a significant change from the current approach that is mostly realisation based. South Africa is not the first country to consider the introduction of a fair value tax on financial instruments, therefore there is precedent. However, both the timing and the approach of the proposal are possibly problematic.This paper discusses the theoretical tax and economic implications of this proposal and attempts to identify positive and negative potential outcomes. A number of unanswered questions are raised that should be addressed before such legislation can be effectively introduced in South Africa. Interview evidence obtained from tax forum meetings, as well as the tax department of one of the banks that would fall within the scope of this legislation, is used to augment the interpretation of this proposal The main findings are that the postulated benefits of the change are unlikely to be realised, that the proposed greater reliance on accounting figures can have unintended consequences and that taxpayers within the scope of the proposed section will lose the benefit of capital gains tax on certain items.

Adoção do regime de competência no setor público brasileiro sob a perspectiva das normas brasileiras e internacionais de contabilidade

This paper aims to analyze the adoption of accrual basis of accounting in the Brazilian government from the perspective of the Brazilian standards and the international accounting standards. This essay is based on the literature review and documentary that examined the provisions of the Brazilian and international standards about the subject, comparing also the legal aspects from the perspective of the National Treasury Secretariat (STN), Court of Auditors (TCU) and Attorney General of the National Treasury (PGFN). The rationale for the study is the perception that the accounts must be the basis for planning of government action and should reflect the substance of transactions and nor merely their legal form. The innovation consists in considering the budget and the accounts must have the same basis of accounting for comparison purposes and to bring the adoption of full accrual basis of accounting from the perspective of the IFAC’s study 14. It concludes that among the expected results with the adoption of full accrual basis of the Brazilian public accounting is the accounting transactions register when there is the occurrence of a triggering event and not at the time of payment or receipt, making with the information that has not integrated the public accounts can be registered and recognized in the accounting statements at the time in which they related.

Do Individual Representatives Influence Government Transfers? Evidence from Japan

Conventional wisdom is that during the second half of the twentieth century, Japanese Diet members served as “pipelines” between the national treasury and their constituents. This article employs two identification strategies to estimate how much individual Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) incumbents in the Lower House of the Diet influenced the distribution of government transfers during the period 1977 to 1992. The first exploits the changes in representation following the midterm deaths of Japanese representatives. The second uses the discontinuity in LDP representation when LDP candidates win or lose elections by very narrow margins. Overall, the influence of individual representatives on central-to-locality transfers is relatively small. However, the LDP incumbents who win office by small electoral margins do appear to affect per capita central government transfers to the municipalities where the incumbent had substantial electoral support.

Vasbyt now, reap NHI dividends later – Green Paper.

While the National Health Insurance (NHI) will require an increase in health care spending that initially outstrips even projected GDP increases, the level of spending relative to GDP in 14 years’ time (6.2%) will be less than the current total health care spending of 8.5% of the GDP. This is according to preliminary cost estimates in the government’s Green Paper released last month after exhaustive research of similar models world wide and dynamic, ongoing consultation with National Treasury.1 Treasury projects a modest real GDP growth from the existing 3.1% to 3.6% in 2011/2012 and 4.2% in 2012/2013 providing cold comfort for the initial launch of the most ambitious re-engineering of the South African health system ever attempted.

State Redemption of the Continental Dollar, 1779–90

Remittances of Continental Dollars to the national treasury from each state by year from 1779 through 1789 are used to determine state compliance with congressional resolutions regarding Continental-Dollar redemption. From 1781 through 1789, the states as a whole stayed well ahead of the remittance schedule set by Congress in 1779. Individual state compliance, however, varied considerably. By the time Congress changed redemption requirements with the Funding Act of 4 August 1790, a majority of the net new Continental Dollars ever emitted by Congress had already been redeemed by the states and remitted to the national treasury to be burned.

Influência da LRF sobre a gestão financeira: espaço de manobra dos municípios paranaenses extremamente pequenos

Este artigo tem por objetivo avaliar e mensurar os reflexos da Lei de Responsabilidade Fiscal (LRF) sobre o espaço de manobra da gestão financeira dos municípios paranaenses com menos de cinco mil habitantes, tendo como referência as peculiaridades e atribuições dos governos locais. A fundamentação teórica compreende os conceitos relacionados à organização do setor público brasileiro, LRF, administração pública gerencial, gestão municipal e, especificamente, gestão financeira municipal. A pesquisa é caracterizada como descritiva e explicativa quanto aos objetivos, bibliográfica e documental quanto aos procedimentos e quantitativa quanto à abordagem do problema. Os municípios paranaenses com menos de cinco mil habitantes que disponibilizaram informações junto à base de dados Finanças do Brasil, da Secretaria do Tesouro Nacional (FINBRA), constituem a população pesquisada. A técnica estatística empregada é a regressão linear múltipla. Nas análises de regressão foram incluídas 22 variáveis explicativas, envolvendo aspectos financeiros e de gestão dos municípios. Conclui-se que o espaço de manobra da gestão financeira dos municípios paranaenses com menos de cinco mil habitantes foi significativamente modificado pela LRF, passando a depender mais fortemente da poupança de receitas correntes.

(A307) Disaster Task Force's Management Support at Emergency Response Phase in the Merapi Eruption November 2010

BackgroundMerapi, the most active volcano in the world, erupted on the 26th October 2010 at 17.02, and followed by several eruptions. The biggest eruption was on the 5th of November 2010. Damages were catastrophic: 386 people killed, and more than $400 million lost. A wide area of fertile lands and settlements were destroyed which resulted in more than 200.000 refugees. This disaster had impact to 2 provinces and 6 districts. At the emergency phase, a special task force was established by central government of Indonesia. This paper aims to evaluate the task force and the role of its management support during the acute phase in the disaster.Methodan input and process evaluation of task force work was implemented.ResultsThe input evaluation shows that the task force members for emergency response came from central, provincial, district government employees, universities and non government organisation members. The financial sources are from public and private funding. The activities process of task force in forms of health response command system, temporary information system, communication and telecommunication system, supporting the volunteer groups, managing the refugees camps, implementing surveillance system, and backed up the local district health officers. There were problems of programs coordination and channelling the budget from national treasury due to the multiple eruptions. Most of these problems were solved by a management support team for the task force.ConclusionThe multiple strikes of Merapi eruption needs better human resources management and financial support. During Merapi eruption, it is proved that a management support for emergency response task force is important. This management support allowed better control and coordination of available resources.

Generational Transfers and Population Aging in Latin America

The effects of estimating expected effects of life-cycle on the economy also known as are both positive and negative meaning that population aging in the region involves not only challenges and constraints but also opportunities for development and gains in standard of living. This book chapter examines some of the probable effects of population aging in Latin America within the framework of the National Transfer Accounts (NTA) project. It estimates the life-cycle deficit and intergenerational transfers in Brazil Chile Costa Rica Mexico and Uruguay. This chapter argues that the increase in aggregate life-cycle deficit at late ages will pose serious challenges for Latin American economies and governments. The data and statistical findings provide information on the economic life cycle and asset income in Latin America the two demographic dividends generational transfers to young and old ages and generational transfers and demographic dividends. The generational transfer system prevalent in Latin America will make the national treasury the most important causality of population aging. The author discusses some of the intergenerational reallocations that deal with the countries life-cycle deficits and concludes by stating that the only major burden confronting Latin American families is the quickly growing need for long-term care for elderly relatives.

How could the pension funds adjudicator get it so wrong? a critique of &lt;i&gt;Smith versus Eskom pension and provident fund&lt;/i&gt;

In this case note the judgment in the Smith case is criticized for being inconsistent with the landmark ruling in Volks. It is argued that the Adjudicator ought to have remanded the matter in Smith to the Board and ought to have ordered it to re-examine its discretion with a focus on a set of factors. Some of the negative effects of Smith on the pension funds industry are also outlined. While the authors express their understanding that the Adjudicator's decision in Smith was made with the rights of women in mind, they believe that her reasoning was wrong. She may have arrived at the same decision on different reasoning. In order to prevent the negative effects of Smith on the pension funds industry, it is recommended that the Adjudicator, when given an opportunity, should overrule the precedent set in Smith. Failure to do so would create the risk of the inconsistent application of the term spouse under South African law, or at the very least in relation to acts of Parliament administered by the National Treasury, which may potentially violate the equality provisions of the Constitution.