SA has achieved a significant reduction of chronic poverty: Zuma

[James]

President Jacob Zuma said on Sunday the country has achieved a significant reduction of chronic poverty especially among the elderly.

The achievements can be ascribed to government's comprehensive social protection programme, he said in a speech prepared for delivery at the launch of National Older Persons Week in Pretoria.

The programme included various social grants such as the old age pension grant and primary health care for the poor.

...read more here: SA has achieved a significant reduction of chronic poverty: Zuma

[Lyt]

Trololololol what other joke does he have for us today?

[Tsar]

What a complete idiot. Personally I see it getting worse.

[Ike_009]

Your giving away grants to so many idiots that the actual grant is so small and pointless now it's irrelevant. A government grant is given away to easily these days, our maid wanted to have another child so she can continue to receive here grant when her daughter gets to old. I'm sorry but that's not healthy when you are having children you can't adequately support just for a grant, plus I don't think it's fair for her to just get a grant again that easily, it all just raping the system. Then at the end of the day us suckers get taxed to support this unhealthy habit of the ANCs.

My opinion, a 10% drop in personal taxes, 5% in companies and 50% drop in grants (receivers not Rand value) would be better.

[reedOsama]

Your giving away grants to so many idiots that the actual grant is so small and pointless now it's irrelevant. A government grant is given away to easily these days, our maid wanted to have another child so she can continue to receive here grant when her daughter gets to old. I'm sorry but that's not healthy when you are having children you can't adequately support just for a grant, plus I don't think it's fair for her to just get a grant again that easily, it all just raping the system. Then at the end of the day us suckers get taxed to support this unhealthy habit of the ANCs.

My opinion, a 10% drop in personal taxes, 5% in companies and 50% drop in grants (receivers not Rand value) would be better.

There's been a study done on grants in South Africa... they do improve people's living standard. Your "solutions" do not help the poor at all if they aren't receiving an income. Also whilst grants may not be the wisest (/most beneficial) way to spend money from your point of view, from the governments point of view it makes sense as they're just giving out money for people to spend. It'll comes back to them eventually... with the benefit of those receiving it having a higher chance to receive an income outside of the grant itself.

http://www.unicef.org/southafrica/SA...s_csg2012s.pdf

[Ike_009]

There's been a study done on grants in South Africa... they do improve people's living standard. Your "solutions" do not help the poor at all if they aren't receiving an income. Also whilst grants may not be the wisest (/most beneficial) way to spend money from your point of view, from the governments point of view it makes sense as they're just giving out money for people to spend. It'll comes back to them eventually... with the benefit of those receiving it having a higher chance to receive an income outside of the grant itself.

http://www.unicef.org/southafrica/SA...s_csg2012s.pdf

I understand the theory but I feel there are also plenty of people milking the system and if we tighten the reigns we would have improved results. I also believe a lower Tax rate would relieve businesses which would also allow increased growth and by extension job creation.

I'm also a firm believer in wealth through empowerment and not hand outs and thus the best way forward is through skills development. We should be promoting individuals to better themselves through their own development rather than handouts. It's the feed a man a fish vs teach a man to fish theory.

[reedOsama]

I understand the theory but I feel there are also plenty of people milking the system and if we tighten the reigns we would have improved results. I also believe a lower Tax rate would relieve businesses which would also allow increased growth and by extension job creation.

In the study I mentioned the amount of people milking the system was found to be negligible. Lower tax for businesses would definitely create more jobs but I think it would be insignificant to the amount of income the government would lose. Also small businesses only pay 10% income tax (as opposed to 28%) at the moment. A small business is defined as a business with R300,000 or less income per year (that should definitely be made higher though).

I'm also a firm believer in wealth through empowerment and not hand outs and thus the best way forward is through skills development. We should be promoting individuals to better themselves through their own development rather than handouts. It's the feed a man a fish vs teach a man to fish theory.

I think that's the point of the grant, to continue the comparison... the money's like fishing lessons and a fishing rod. The grants are also calculated to be enough to live on but not enough to live comfortably encouraging people to get jobs, you yourself mentioned your maid. If the grants were enough why would she work for you?

the reverse: if she was being paid enough why would she look for a grant

[HavocXphere]

There's been a study done on grants in South Africa... they do improve people's living standard.

Give anyone cash & their living standard is likely to improve. Thats not the issue...the problem is that it comes at a long term social cost. In Ike_009's example it has created someone who's solution to life's problem is make more babies. Said babies will grow up to be adults & who will they look at as an example of "how its done"?

Rising life style is in itself not enough. It has to be socially sustainable long term....something that grants are very bad at. If however the aim is to ensure that the uneducated masses keep voting for you party...then grants are exactly what you need.

[reedOsama]

Give anyone cash & their living standard is likely to improve. Thats not the issue...the problem is that it comes at a long term social cost. In Ike_009's example it has created someone who's solution to life's problem is make more babies. Said babies will grow up to be adults & who will they look at as an example of "how its done"?

If they gave her money regardless of whether she has a child or not then she wouldn't need to make a baby to get a grant.

Rising life style is in itself not enough. It has to be socially sustainable long term....something that grants are very bad at. If however the aim is to ensure that the uneducated masses keep voting for you party...then grants are exactly what you need.

South Africa: The DA Always Has, and Will Continue Supporting Social Grants

Research suggests that between 1997 and 2011, social grants reduced the number of people in South Africa living on less R20 a day by 82%. Grants have also helped to reduce child poverty and to lower the number of children who do not have access to an adequate standard of living, including access to crucial services such as electricity, housing, water and sanitation.

Contrary to the anecdotal evidence regarding the abuse of social grants, research shows that child support grants and old-age pensions are actually used to enhance the nutrition and schooling of children.

Labour force surveys tracking social grant recipients over time have shown that people in households receiving social grants search for work more often and are more likely to find work.

[Ike_009]

This is the problem with economics, you can have 5 opinions and all of them can be right. That's why winston Churchill said its very hard to find a 2 handed economist