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]
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 27 April.[17][18]
In March 2026, Burke was revealed as a candidate for the position of Federal Finance Chairperson of the Democratic Alliance, ahead of the DA's Federal Congress in April.[19] He was elected on 12 April 2026, defeating MP Erik Marais and Fanyana Nkosi.[20]
