Each of the Common Monetary Area (CMA) Member States presented
their 2014/15 Budgets during February 2014. An overview of the
Budgets of Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland reveals Namibia as the
only country proposing fiscal amendments of any significance. A
common theme of these Budgets is a concern about the increased
uncertainty regarding the future of the South African Customs Union
(SACU) and a firm intention to reduce reliance on SACU revenue.
Lesotho
The Minister of Finance, Dr Leketekete Victor Ketso, presented
the 2014/15 Budget on 20 February 2014.
Government expenditure for 2014/15 is estimated at M15.4 billion
(a 7.6% increase from the 2013/14 Budget), of which M10.4 billion
is allocated to recurrent expenditure and M5 billion to capital
expenditure. The Minister admitted that the growth of the wage bill
is alarming and proposed an across-the-board increase in public
sector salaries and wages of only 4 percent, despite the projected
inflation rate of 6