The Minority in Parliament has accused the government of hiding the correct budget deficit in the 2021 budget statement presented by the caretaker Finance Minister Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu on Friday, March 12, 2021.
The NDC MPs in a statement issued by its leader, Haruna Iddrisu said the "mismanagement and uncontrolled expenditure and sheer lack of prudence accounted for the poor performance of the economy and not just COVID-19."
"For the 2019 fiscal year, the government reported a fiscal deficit of 4.8% of GDP while at the same time, as confirmed by the IMF in their April 2020 staff report, a fiscal deficit of 7.5% of GDP.
"This means an amount of about GH¢8.2billion was concealed from our expenditure framework.
"We demand that the fiscal deficit including arrears for the year 2020 be corrected in the budget statement to reflect the actual figure of 17.5% of GDP.
"Fiscal deficit for the year 2020 of 13.8% of GDP, as stated by the Ministry of Finance, excludes an amount of GH¢6.2 billion being what the government refers to as energy sector payments.
"We demand the inclusion of the energy sector payments of GH¢6.2 billion in the fiscal tables to reflect in the corresponding fiscal deficit," Haruna Iddrisu added.
The NDC MP rejected levies imposed on Ghanaians in the budget arguing they will exacerbate the COVID-19 induced hardships.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu has called off the bluff of the Speaker of Parliament blocking the approval of the 2021 budget.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Suame said the Speaker, Alban Bagbin does not have the powers to block the approval of the budget as he threatened.
The Speaker had said: "The budget is not for the executive, we have the final power to approve or disapprove and so what the constitution has done is for them to make recommendations and negotiate during the deliberations of the budget before the House.
"It is not for the executive to impose a ceiling on the judiciary or parliament, they have to do the proper thing. And so during the considerations of the [budget] estimate, particularly the committees concerned, take that on board and at the end of the day come and explain to us the negotiated figure and not the ceiling that has been given by the president, that is not the internment of the 1992 constitution.”
But Kyei Mensah Bonsu, who is also the Majority Leader in the house said a decision to block the budget doesn't reside with the Speaker.
"I think this is not really a matter that, honestly, the Speaker should have spoken to the plenary. I think he should have continued the engagement. After all, I am the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs; I'm also the Majority Leader. This is not a matter for the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry but it is for the Majority Leader", he said.
He added: "Maybe he could have sought my intervention to engage the Presidency. The truth is Parliament cannot make any request which indeed and in truth may perhaps go outside of what the basket of the national resources can contain. There is a reason why when we made the request, there will be this backstage consultation."
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