$1.558 trillion Budget 2026 passed in National Assembly

After one week of passionate debates and intense scrutiny of the last five days, the National Assembly in the wee hours of today approved the passage of the $1.558 trillion Budget 2026 – the first national fiscal plan of the current People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration.
Presented under the theme “Putting People First”, Budget 2026 builds on the last five years of steady progress and ushers in a new phase of inclusive, diversified growth through creating more opportunities for accelerated job creation, income generation, and human capital development.
The National Assembly late Friday evening approved the $116.9 billion budgetary allocation for the Finance Ministry, but not before a number of areas, including the Guyana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) operations, came under scrutiny.
In the Committee of Supply, Ganesh Mahipaul of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Opposition questioned whether GRA’s Petroleum Revenue Department is fully staffed, to which Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance Dr Ashni Singh indicated that there are 14 vacant positions for principal auditors.
“In an optimal configuration, they would like to have 91 persons in their optimal configuration,” the Minister stated, adding, however, that the agency continues to build capacity in-house.
“Of course, efforts continue to fill those vacancies, but we continue efforts also to build the capacity, including through specialised training, which we’ve been doing a lot more of. Attachments and training opportunities for the staff are there, [and] better use of technology-based solutions so that they’re able to do more with less, etc.”

Despite these vacancies, the Finance Minister assured that the work of the department is not being affected. “The discharge of our statutory obligations is in no way impeded. We are discharging our statutory obligations, and we will continue to do so,” he emphasised.
In the same vein, Dr Singh highlighted that the GRA must be lauded for the work it has done to build the capacity needed for its oversight of Guyana’s burgeoning oil and gas sector, which includes taxation and compliance.
“The task of building institutions is not an instantaneous or overnight one…What we have achieved in the GRA, and indeed in so many other institutions that are administering our oil and gas sector, is most commendable, and the people who have been involved in building up this capacity, I think, have done an absolutely fantastic job…in such a short space of time that they have done it.”
“I think the Board of the GRA must be completed, the technical leadership of the GRA should be completed [and] the staff of the GRA must be commended for the really remarkable manner in which they have built up capacity in a short space of time. And so, I don’t want us to leave with the impression that there is some glaring and gaping gap or shortage in capacity. They’re doing an absolutely fantastic job with the resources they have, and they deserve our highest commendation. Having said that, we will continue to do all that we can to continue to build capacity going forward,” the Minister stated.
MP Mahipaul further asked whether the GRA’s $11.6 billion budgetary allocation also catered for the strengthening of safeguards against fraud as it relates to the driver’s licensing programme.
According to the Opposition MP, “There has been some cause for concern with reference to the issuance of drivers’ licences, and there were some exposures… Is there consideration to strengthen that department [at GRA, which issues the licences] to ensure there is no issuance of licences to people who do not fit the criteria?”
In response, Dr Singh noted that while this is also an area that the Government is keen on ridding of fraudulent practices, the entire licensing process involves multiple agencies that are outside of the Authority’s functions. Nonetheless, pointing to the recent announcement by President Dr Irfaan Ali of administering the driver’s licence examination online through the Guyana Digital School, the Minister assured, “We’re committed to looking at the entire lifecycle of these transactions and making sure we strengthen the entire process.”
Similarly, the APNU MP had grilled the Finance Minister about enhancing the National Procurement and Tender Board Administration (NPTAB) functions. He cited efforts since 2022 to introduce electronic procurement at NPTAB.
The Finance Minister noted that this platform is expected to be rolled out later this year. In fact, he noted that at least one demonstration was done as part of Phase One of the implementation process, which is being led by the National Data Management Authority.
Dr Singh further indicated that the Procurement Act is also being reviewed with the aim of updating the legislation not just to facilitate the introduction of e-procurement but other critical areas as well. Similarly, he assured that there are constant efforts to make the NPTAB website more user-friendly.
Minister Singh also fielded questions from Opposition Member Tabitha Sarabo-Halley of We Invest in Nationhood, who enquired about the final report of the 2022 National Population and Housing Census.
Dr Singh indicated that he too, along with the Government, is awaiting the final report from the National Bureau of Statistics. However, with the preliminary report released last month, the Minister acknowledged the mammoth task of conducting the census, which involved over 1000 workers.
“This is a huge exercise…[and] it is equally important for all of us to develop a stronger sense of appreciation for the magnitude of effort involved in these exercises, particularly if you want it done well… And in the same breath, urge them to conclude the final report in the shortest possible time,” the Minister stated.
The passage of the Finance Ministry’s allocations brought an end to the consideration of the 2026 budget estimates after a week-long intense scrutiny.