Die ekonomie minuut

Die afgelope week was daar inflasie aanwysers vir Suid-Afrika en BBP groei syfers vir die VSA, maar wat sê dit oor ons rentekoersvooruitsigte?

Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die Buro vir Ekonomiese Ondersoek in Stellenbosch en die NWU Sakeskool.

This past week there were inflation indicators for South Africa and GDP growth figures for the US, but what does that say about our interest rate outlook?

This episode is supported by the Bureau of Economic Research in Stellenbosch and the NWU Business School.

Een van President Ramaphosa se voorstelle om vir arm Suid-Afrikaners verligting te bied van hoë lewenskoste is om meer produkte vry te stel van BTW. Ekonome sê vinnig dat meer nulkoerse nie ʼn goeie idee is nie, omdat dit relatiewe pryse versteur, en Tesourie het gesê hulle kan nie die verlore belasting inkomste kan bekostig nie. Ek het na die verslag gaan kyk wat ʼn paneel van kundiges in 2018 vir die Minister van Finansies voorberei het en daar is veel meer om oor te praat.

Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

One of President Ramaphosa's proposals to offer poor South Africans relief from the high cost of living is to exempt more products from VAT. Economists quickly said that more zero rates are not a good idea, because they distort relative prices, and the Treasury has said they cannot afford the foregone tax revenue. I went to look at the report that a panel of experts prepared for the Minister of Finance in 2018 and there is much more to discuss.

This episode is supported by the NWU Business School.

Statistieke Suid-Afrika het gister Juniemaand se verbruikersprysindeksdata bekend gemaak en die inflasiekoers het verlangsaam tot 5,1%.

Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

Statistics South Africa released June's consumer price index data yesterday and the inflation rate slowed to 5.1%.

This episode is supported by the NWU Business School.

Een van die voorstelle wat President Ramaphosa gemaak het namens die Regering van Nasionale Eenheid is dat hulle wil ondersoek instel na ʼn inkomste-toelaag vir werklose mense. Ten spyte van baie studies hieroor is ekonome nie eens oor wat so toelaag bereik nie. Ons stem meestal saam dat dit beter is om kontant te gee sonder voorwaardes, maar die impak van so toelaag op uitkomste soos werk-soek-aktiwiteit, kleinskaalse entrepreneurskap, verdere onderwys, of gesondheid verskil tussen studies. Die resultate van ʼn groot Amerikaanse studie wat fokus op gesondheidsuitkomste het almal so bietjie bekommerd.

Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur Economic Research Southern Africa en die NWU Sakeskool.

One of the proposals that President Ramaphosa made on behalf of the Government of National Unity is that they want to investigate an income grant for unemployed people. Despite many studies on this, economists do not agree on what such an allowance achieves. We mostly agree that it is better to give cash without conditions, but the impact of such a grant on outcomes such as job-seeking activity, small-scale entrepreneurship, further education, or health varies between studies. The results of a large American study focusing on health outcomes have everyone a little worried.

This episode is supported by Economic Research Southern Africa and the NWU Business School.

Ek praat vinnig oor die good, bad en ugly van President Ramaphosa se toespraak in die Parlement die afgelope Donderdag en vandag gaan oor die bad en ugly aspekte. My maatstaf vir ʼn slegte plan is of dit voorstel dat die staat iets doen wat die privaatsektor eerder kan doen, en ook of ʼn plan strydig is met van die goeie doelwitte wat hy gestel het.

Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

I am quickly talking about the good, bad and ugly of President Ramaphosa's speech in Parliament last Thursday and today is about the bad and ugly aspects. My criterion is whether a plan is something that must be done by the state, versus whether the private sector can do it and also whether a plan is contrary to some of the good goals.