Minister of Finance and Treasury Snyder Rini yesterday introduced in Parliament the 2015 supplementary Appropriation Bill 2015 in its second reading.
The object of this Bill is to authorize additional supplementary expenditure of one hundred and ninety five million, seven hundred and forty thousand, and one hundred and thirty one dollars, authorized under the 2015 Appropriation Act 2015 for the service of the year ending 31st December 2015.
In his budgetary speech, the 2015 Supplementary Bill is to regularize $36,995,768 provided through Contingency Warrant, $20,291,159 through advance warrant and additional expenditures of $138,453,186 through new appropriations.
“This Bill includes reductions to non-essential programs totaling $12,346,138. I note that the PAC highlighted in its deliberations that the habit of providing offsetting, in effect reprioritizing the existing appropriations, reflects good financial management and I thank them for this observation.”
Minister Rini told Parliament the Supplementary Bill 2015 has been prepared for the current sitting of Parliament as required under section 102 (3) of the constitution and section 51 of the public Financial Management Act 2013.
“This is a practice that I hope will continue and that in the future we might find the capacity to fully offset Supplementary Appropriation Bills as our budget and planning reforms and capacity improve.”
He explained section 102(3) of the Constitution states that: “if in respect of any financial year it is found that the sum appropriated by the Appropriation Act for any purpose is insufficient or that a need has arisen for expenditure for a purpose for which no sum has been appropriated by that law, a supplementary estimate showing the sums required shall included in a supplementary appropriation bill for appropriation”.
By ELLIOT DAWEA
