MPs demand more time for Budget review

under pressure to pass the Budget through Parliament.
“This year, we have asked for two weeks of unpacking the Budget when it is presented and another two weeks to debate it.
“The idea is to ensure that Parliament gives greater attention to the Budget than in previous years,” he said.
Mr Zhanda was speaking last week as he announced the start of parliamentary prebudget consultation meetings.
The meetings, separate from those of the Ministry of Finance, are due to start today across the country.
Mr Zhanda said this year the pre-Budget meetings had started earlier to ensure that people’s views are captured in the 2013 Budget.
“In previous years we started the consultation process late when Treasury had already made commitments in respect of the Budget . . . Our role is to ensure that the (Finance) Minister is accountable to the public,” he said. High on the debate agenda on the 2013 Budget is expected to be the issue of increased financing for social programmes as the majority of the population is living below the Poverty Datum Line.
Observers contend that key areas that the Government needs to focus on include allotments for housing, food and medical care. Social spending is usually meant to offer assistance to the poor or needy. But since dollarisation the Government has been unable to effectively support this area due to a tight fiscus.
Treasury, in its pre-Budget strategy paper for the 2013 National Budget, has indicated a number of key social programmes.
These include targeting resources of at least US$60 million for “vulnerable families”, continued funding of the Basic Education Assistance Module programme and at least US$4,2 million in hospital user fees for the vulnerable, among others.
But with tax and non-tax revenues for next year projected to be around US$3,8 billion, there is not much increase expected in social spending.
Mr Zhanda said: “With Budget requirements for this year being estimated to be around US$22 billion, against revenues of below US$4 billion, the issue is not about debating the level of resource allocations. Focus should be on how we can grow the national cake.”