Response+to+the+2008+Budget+Speech,+YCL+Media+Release




 * YCL Media Release, 20 February 2008**

=Response to the 2008 Budget Speech=

The Young Communist League [YCL] welcomes the thrust of the 12th Budget Speech delivered today, February 20, 2008, by the Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel.

This Budget Speech and bold pronouncements made by the Minister are complementing the progressive policies agreed upon at watershed 52nd National Conference of the African National Congress [ANC] in Polokwane, December 2007 and the January 8th Statement of the ANC National Executive Committee [NEC].

As the YCL, an ideological and political formation of the working class and the poor youth we welcome the budget speech in the following areas:


 * Education and Skills Development**

The YCL welcomes the R 18 Billion that has been allocated for the purposes of school building, early childhood development, school books and educator remuneration.

We view that as part of solidifying the ANC Polokwane Conference and the January 8th Statement of making education a national priority. We further believe this will also address the challenge faced by learners more especially in rural provinces who are still learning under trees, and also responding to the challenges of school safety.

The YCL is in full support of the intention to support Further Education and Training (FET) institutions from the Skills Development Levy. This will go far in reversing the challenges of skills development and upgrading FET institutions from being poor cousins of Higher Education into quality training institutions.


 * Social Security**

Given the widening gap between the rich and the poor, we welcome the partial increase of the child support grant to R220 per month and its expansion to cover young people up to the age of 15 years. We welcome this in midst of the challenges faced by child headed homes and within the escalating costs of living in the country.


 * Energy**

We further welcome the financial injection of R60 Billion for Eskom to meet its investment programmes. We believe this injection helps Eskom in resolving the power failure crisis and also respond to the increasing demand of power supply by our people.

The YCL view this as a pro – poor Budget which is underpinned by the needs and aspirations of our people, especially the working class and the poor youth.

This Budget Speech did not seek to appease big business that has benefited a lot under the current accumulation regime leaving the working class and the poor economically marginalized.


 * Issued by Young Communist League.**
 * For more information contact: Castro Ngobese, YCL National Spokesperson**

By e-mail

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