267.1B budget approved
Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan answers questions posed by the Opposition in the National Assembly
Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan answers questions posed by the Opposition in the National Assembly

-opposition fails in late bid to have US$18M signing bonus included in estimates
…studies to re-establish development bank for next year

AS the sunlight dimmed on Friday afternoon, the 2018 National Budget of $267.1B was passed in the National Assembly despite the opposition last ditch effort to stall proceedings by introducing a motion to have the US$18M Signing Bonus between the Government and ExxonMobil reflected in the estimates.

Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry as she answered questions relevant to the Education Ministry’s budgeted allocations for 2018
(Adrian Narine photos)

Following two weeks of debates and scrutiny and instances of drama, Finance Minister Winston Jordon reported the conclusion of the consideration of the budget’s estimates. The Appropriations Bill 15/2017, which details the estimates for all ministries, was then tabled and passed in the House. Friday’s sitting of the National Assembly was delayed by several hours from its scheduled 10:00hrs start after the Opposition requested, by way of motion, for the US$18M to be included in the budget.

After the delay, the Opposition’s motion on the bonus was struck down by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland on the grounds of urgency, noting that the Opposition approached the House for the motion’s consideration on the final day of the examination of the budget estimates. During the afternoon session, the estimates for the Ministry of Education and later, the Ministry of Finance were examined. Education Minister, Nicolette Henry was tasked with providing answers for several questions posed by Opposition Members of Parliament, Priya Manickchand and Gail Teixeira and their colleagues who grilled the subject minister extensively on monies for projects budgeted for 2018.

In some instances the same answer was provided by the minister for questions relevant to the Department of Culture which now falls under the Ministry of the Presidency. The questioning came after sums budgeted in 2017 were higher than those for 2018. Minister Henry was quick to point out on several occasions that the drop in allocated sums were related to the Department of Culture’s relocation. Minister Henry was also questioned extensively on sums allocated for the nursery schools as well as for primary education. She maintained that the sums budgeted were sufficient to undertake the ministry’s mandate in 2018.

Minister Jordan in providing answers to the Opposition was critical of the Guyana Revenue Authority’s Total Revenue Integrated Processing System (TRIPS). He said the project has cost “us a fortune and it still doesn’t work.” The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is implementing another system which Minister Jordon noted will improve collection of customs charges. He said that the $1B TRIPS software “has really and truly never worked.”
The introduction of the TRIPS began in 2006, in time for the introduction of the Value-added Tax (VAT) and the Taxpayers Identification Number (TIN) Registration which was aimed at improving the efficiency of the Guyana Revenue Authority.

Minister Jordan also noted that several studies will be undertaken by the Finance Ministry in 2018, among them a market study for the re-establishing of a National Development Bank. That study will be done at a budgeted cost of US $ 75,000 over a three months period.
Budgeted allocations for several government agencies in 2018 are as follows:

*Ministry of the Presidency –$9.4B
*Office of the Prime Minister -$839M
*Ministry of Finance -$23.6B
*Ministry of Foreign Affairs -$5.5B
*Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs-$2.2B
*Ministry of Agriculture -$16.8B
*Ministry of Business -$2.1B
*Ministry of Natural Resources -$1.1B
*Ministry of Public Infrastructure -$32B
*Ministry of Education -$19.9B
*Ministry of Communities -$6.5B
*Ministry of Public Health -$23.4B
*Ministry of Social Protection -$16.9B
*Ministry of Public Security -$18.6B
*Ministry of Legal Affairs -$1B
*Ministry of Public Telecommunications -$4.6B

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