WHILE responsibility for budget preparations, which are ongoing, is eposed in the Government of the day, political dialogue on the budget is a process that occurs at a different level.

This is according to Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Bishop Juan Edghill, who said that while budget preparations and dialogue with government agencies continue, political dialogue is another matter.
“Political dialogue surrounding the budget is a different matter… Preparations for the budget are not a political process,” he said Thursday in response to queries about the status of Budget 2015 preparation.
The Minister added that the preparations are a highly “iterative” process.
A Budget Call circular was issued in early July to the various Government ministries and agencies requesting the commencement of compilation of their budget submissions.
Edghill 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 utilization combined with the formulation of constructive and effective economic policy.
This year, the cuts totaled 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)