The main thrust of the 2026 Budget tabled on 25 February in Cape Town was to lower debt service costs. Accordingly, the theme of the Budget was: “A fiscal turning point in a resilient economy.” Therefore, the way that the government aims to achieve this is by running a primary surplus. A primary surplus takes place when tax revenue exceeds non-interest spending. This in turn reduces the debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio over time. [...]