MINISTER in the Ministry of Finance, Juan Edghill has confirmed that consultations at the technical level, with several stakeholder groups, are continuing as part of preparations for Budget 2015.

“The consultations at the technical level continue,” he said to the Guyana Chronicle, in an invited comment.
A budget call circular was issued early last month to various Government ministries and agencies requesting the commencement of compilation of their budget submissions.
The Minister explained that when submissions are received they will be reviewed through several rounds of meetings, after which analysis will be done and then they will be consolidated into the national budget.
Submissions from ministries and agencies routinely include information on policy recommendations, detailed articulations of various programmes and projects the ministries would like to implement in 2009, and some articulation of the expected impacts and outcomes that would arise from the implementation of these programmes and projects.
Additionally, there was a meeting between the Director of Budget and all Permanent Secretaries to facilitate discussion of requirements articulated in the budget circular.
The Ministry’s Budget Office facilitates the preparation of the country’s annual revenues and expenditure estimates, effective and efficient management and monitoring of resource allocation and utilisation combined with the formulation of constructive and effective economic policy.
This year the cuts totalled a whopping $37.4B, reducing the $220B national Budget to $182.6B. Last year, the combined Opposition cut the Budget by $31B; and in 2012 by $21B.
The 2015 national Budget will be tabled in the first quarter of the new year.

(Vanessa Narine)