Mark John Burke
Mark John Burke | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the National Assembly of South Africa | |
| Assumed office 25 June 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mark John Burke 1989 Free State, South Africa |
| Political party | Democratic Alliance |
| Spouse | Talia Simone da Silva Burke |
| Occupation | Member of Parliament |
| Profession | Politician |
Mark John Burke is a South African politician who has been a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa for the Democratic Alliance (DA) since 2024.
Background
[edit]Burke was born in 1989 in Free State and is a native speaker of Afrikaans.[1] He earned two bachelor's degrees in Computer Science and Language Technology from the Potchefstroom campus of North-West University.[2] During his time at North-West University, he founded the Debate Society.[3] He also earned a master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Cape Town,[4]a master's degree in Technology Policy and a PhD both from the University of Cambridge on a scholarship from the Mandela Rhodes Foundation.[5]
Burke is the founder of ExpandRand, a company providing money transfer services for expatriate South Africans, and a cofounder of Kastelo, a fintech company. He is married to Dr. Talia Simone da Silva Burke.[6]
Parliamentary career
[edit]Burke stood as a DA parliamentary candidate on the Western Cape list in the 2024 national elections and was subsequently elected to the National Assembly of South Africa. He was sworn in on 25 June 2024.[7] He is a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and is an alternate member on the Standing Committees on Appropriations and on Public Accounts.[8]
2025 National Budget Contestation
In his capacity as the DA’s spokesperson on finance, Burke was prominent in voicing the DA’s opposition to the value-added tax (VAT) increases proposed by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in the first two versions of the 2025 national budget.[9][10][11] He instead advocated for enhanced expenditure efficiency through a comprehensive review of government spending arguing that South Africa doesn’t have a revenue problem but instead has a problem prioritising spending programs and growing the economy.[12][13]
During deliberations of the Standing Committee on Finance in drafting a report on the 2025 Fiscal Framework and Revenue Proposals on 1 April 2025, Burke introduced a motion to amend the fiscal framework by removing the proposed 0,5 percent VAT increase.[14][15] The motion was defeated in favour of an ActionSA proposal, supported by the African National Congress (ANC) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), to support the VAT increase.[16] The report and the VAT increase were subsequently set aside by the Western Cape High Court on the 27th of April.[17][18]
References
[edit]- ^ "Luister, you can keep your Oxford scholarship - Thought Leader". thoughtleader.co.za/. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "About the Contributors". IGI Global. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "About us". nwupukdebatesociety.weebly.com. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "Mandela Rhodes Foundation Yearbook 2012" (PDF). 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "The smartest man in South Africa's Parliament". Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ "Mark John Burke". The Mandela Rhodes Foundation. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "The 400 MPs elected to the National Assembly - IEC - DOCUMENTS | Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ "Mark John Burke". Parliament of South Africa. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "The DA stands firm on zero VAT increases - Mark Burke - DOCUMENTS | Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ Ndenze, Babalo. "DA again appeals to ANC to focus on budget that creates jobs, grows economy rather than tax hikes". EWN. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ "LISTEN | Godongwana bristles at 'rogue minister' accusation over VAT increase". TimesLIVE. Archived from the original on 25 April 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ Gerber, Jan. "Budget 2025: DA rejects notion it is either a VAT increase or austerity Budget". News24. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ Goodall, Keely. "2025 Budget: 'We don't have a revenue problem; we have an expenditure problem' – DA". EWN. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ Ndou, Clive (1 April 2025). "DA calls for Budget amendment". The Witness. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ Mkhulisi, Mfundekelwa. "JUST IN: DA rejects VAT increase!". Daily Sun. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ Ferreira, Emsie (1 April 2025). "Budget: Finance committees approve fiscal framework at 11th hour". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ Singh, Kaveel. "0.5 percentage point VAT increase suspended in Western Cape High Court". News24. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ "VAT hike officially suspended in South Africa". Retrieved 20 June 2025.