THE Eastern Cape is set to become the first legislature in the country to pass a bill that will allow it to amend the provincial budget after it has been tabled.
The National Assembly has also initiated a process to allow it to amend money bills with a motion being passed that instructed the finance committee "to consider a procedure to amend money bills before parliament with a view to introducing a bill dealing with the matter".
The committee must report back to the National Assembly by August 15.
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel has blocked attempts to introduce the legislation in the past arguing that amending the budget after it has been tabled could result in a lengthy process in which countless amendments might have to be accommodated.
The Constitution provides that a provincial legislature may amend a money bill – a bill that appropriates money or imposes provincial taxes or levies - and a White Paper on the procedure to amend such legislation has been tabled in the Legislature and referred to the Finance Committee.
The White Paper notes that before a money bill can be amended legislation is required in terms of which the procedure for this is set out.
Read Patrick Cull's full analysis of this new bill and its implications in Tuesday's edition of The Herald.
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