Govt. braces for tough fight to pass budget

Mar 29, 2013 News

– Luncheon goes on the offensive

The government is bracing itself for a tough fight in the National Assembly to get its $208.8 billion budget passed.
With both opposition Parliamentary parties downplaying the budget, they are sure to put the government to task when the related debates begin next week. The tough fight is expected when the government will have to justify its spending, line by line, or face an opposition-controlled Parliament that will deny spending where it sees fit.

Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon

Even before the debates begin, Dr Roger Luncheon, the government’s chief spokesperson went on the offensive, castigating the opposition.
“The debate, Cabinet felt, would expose those who pander to superficiality, seek confrontation and by their very act and their behaviour betray their lack of interest and resolve in achieving the best for Guyanese,” Luncheon said.
At the same time, he said that the government would take a “constructive” approach during the budget debates.
“It is Cabinet’s intention to pursue the budget, its debate, and its final endorsement in the most constructive of ways, keeping focused its attention on development and the welfare of the Guyanese people,” Luncheon stated.
He said the budget demonstrated that the PPP government had rejected any descent into superficiality and recklessness that characterized the opposition’s activities in the National Assembly.
“The 2013 Budget was a rejection of the game plan of the opposition and it took the high ground in focusing on the development of Guyana; it took the high ground in appealing to Guyanese instincts to seek progress and to concentrate on developing our country,” Luncheon declared.
He said that Cabinet contended that the budget was about the future and it was designed to promote the ambitions and the achievements of Guyanese “as we evolve into a middle class society.”
According to Luncheon, the budget could best be seen in light of what is happening with the economies of in the Caribbean “to allow us to have a better and a more informed perspective about Guyana.”
“The debate would provide Guyanese citizens, the public and the Diaspora with ample opportunity to discern who really… which political forces are out there with a focus on the development of the nation and the care, the welfare, of its citizens,” Luncheon stated.
Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh said Budget 2013 reflects the continued strong economic growth of Guyana, and the projections for further growth this year would allow Guyana to achieve its eighth consecutive year of upward economic growth.
During a press conference on Monday night, Dr. Singh explained that the policies and programmes presented are aimed towards the wellbeing of the Guyanese people, with a strong focus on young people through education, and the improvement of that sector along with the development of sports.
Minister Singh stated that the National Budget is also targeted towards improving the circumstances of senior citizens and young professionals. Tax relief was very prevalent in the Budget, he pointed out, along with financial measures to enhance the livelihood of low income earners and farmers.
The Minister also emphasised the focus on ICT development, along with solid support for other sectors, with significant focus on electricity and tax relief for individuals and small businesses.
Fielding questions from the press, Minister Singh acknowledged that some of the recommendations and proposals put forward by civil society organisations, the private sector and the opposition political parties, were incorporated in the Budget. He observed that regarding the initiatives proposed by APNU, many of the suggestions and recommendations made were based on broad objectives, and Government already had those issues under implementation.
“I am hopeful that the opposition will find in this budget clear indications that many of the objectives that they espoused are, in fact, objectives that this government has long been embracing and are objectives that are well served by some of the programmes in the budget,” he emphasised.
Minister Singh also clarified the mortgage relief provisions made; explaining that the interest paid on a mortgage loan will now be added to a person’s income threshold and will no longer be subject to income-tax. The fine-tuning of this relief is still to be worked out.
Dr. Singh maintained that there were many things in the budget that all Guyanese can be proud of and will appreciate, because they somehow or the other, positively impact the lives of the ordinary man.
On the opposition’s criticisms of the budget, Dr. Singh expressed disappointment that they would seek to play down the importance of increased budgetary allocations. He said the administration was doing what was necessary to create change in the society through prudent economic management and the continued diversification of the country’s economy.
The Finance Minister reiterated that the administration has made the right interventions in critical areas of interest that could continue to impact the health, safety and economic security of Guyanese.