Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has confirmed that a new national budget will be presented in parliament on 21 May. The decision to introduce a revised budget comes in the wake of government’s move to abandon the plan by the National Treasury to increase the value-added tax (VAT). The original proposal aimed to raise VAT by 0.5% starting on 1 May 2025, followed by an additional 0.5% hike in the 2026/2027 financial year.  Thabiso Kotane speaks to Chief Economist at Econometrix, Dr. Azar Jammine.