Early Budget an attempt to avoid scrutiny – PPP/C

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) does not support the passage of an early budget, saying the dynamics of the situation limit its scrutiny of Government’s performance.
Finance Minister Winston Jordan had announced that the National Budget 2017 would be presented in early December and would aid in the timely implementation of Government’s agenda.

edghill
Former Junior Finance Minister Juan Edghill

However, the PPP/C is contending that it will not get to examine and compare the actual expenditure for 2016, since the 2017 Budget will be presented and debated while the 2016 Budget is still being implemented.
Former Junior Finance Minister Juan Edghill, during a news conference on Monday, explained that the books for the fiscal year close on December 31; therefore, if the Budget is presented before that date, then figures on the various Ministries and agencies’ performance will not be available for comparison during the budget debates.
“We will be debating and examining a budget where a current budget is being executed and we don’t know for sure actuals. For example, between December 21 and December 31, do you know what the expenditure of this country can be? If the books are not closed, we don’t know how much they spent, how much is their capital expenditure, how much is their current expenditure to find out what we are doing for 2017; so we will be at a disadvantage,” Edghill explained.
Given these circumstances, he suspected that Government’s early budget presentation could be its sneaky way of evading public scrutiny.
“We are very concerned if this is another three-card trick that is being played out in the public where we are going to be duped. Is this another form of corruption to hide underperformance and create opportunities for greater levels of corruption….?” he mused.
Edghill maintained that there was no haste for an early budget presentation, noting historically, the country’s budget was presented in the first quarter of the fiscal year. He noted too that there were already mechanisms in place for the interim spending of the Government, which is 1/12 of the previous budget, until the new budget is presented and passed.