South Sudan parliament passes 2008 budget
By Isaac Vuni
December 20, 2007 (JUBA) — The Lawmakers of Southern Sudan Assembly has, today evening, passed the budget for fiscal year 2008, describing it one of the best Christmas gifts to the people of Southern Sudan.
The budget proposes to raise revenues to the tune of Sudanese pounds 3,487,864,076 through collection of revenues from Oil, Personal Income Tax (PIT), customs duties, Value Added Tax (VAT) levies, corporate, airport fee, nationality and immigration fee, and non tax revenues.
It also pledged for provision of general reserve fund for the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) at tune of 48,000,000 during the fiscal year 2008.
The 2008 budget chapter one salaries total is Sudanese pounds 1,880,565,077, Operational cost is Sudanese pounds 797,613,876, Capital amount is 737,685,123 and the grand total in Sudanese pounds is 3,415,864,076.
In its sitting number 32 of the second session of the year 2007 afternoon session, the speaker of the assembly, James Wani Igga, together with legislators lauded Kuol Athian Mawein, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, together with his team for their excellent preparation and transparent presentation of 2008 budget.
“This has been a marathon debate but we must appreciate finance minister together with his team for a job well done”, emphasized Igga.
The overall total approved budget by Legislators was based on total of human resources 112,059 compared to that of last year 84,367. The increased human resource number is 27,692.
Earlier, Finance and Economic planning minister said the goals of the government of Southern Sudan as stipulated in Southern Sudan interim constitution article 40 (1) states that eradication of poverty, attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, guaranteeing the equitable distribution of wealth, redressing imbalances of income and achieving a decent standard of life for the people of Southern Sudan.
He went on saying that the objectives of the government of Southern Sudan are to promote democratic principles, good governance and political pluralism.
– To uphold and implement the CPA, initiate processes of reconciliation and healing so as to promote harmony, unity and peaceful co-existence among all people,
– To maintain law and order and uphold fundamental basic human rights by promoting culture of peace and tolerance,
– To empower people through a decentralized system of governance that is characterized by transparency, accountability and equitable resources allocations,
– To provide basic social services of primary education, primary health and clean drinking water,
– To develop and regulate economy in order to active prosperity and self-reliant economy and to craft necessary polices to ensure a stable macro-economic framework,
– To facilitate development of private sector and encourage private initiatives with special emphasis on rural development and small and medium enterprises,
– To promote agriculture, industrial and technological development,
– To implement a comprehensive capacity building and a institutional strengthening,
– Prioritizing agriculture and facilitate for the transition from subsistence-based livelihood to a development oriented economy,
– Restoring peace and harmony and regenerating social capital through rapid scale up of education as a apriority,
– Developing physical infrastructure in particular rapid expansion of the road network to open up Southern Sudan to market and trade to enable access to services and facilitation of return of the displaced persons and electrification of towns including large villages and developing institutional infrastructure for better governance among others.
The 296 page documents of the 2008 budget spelled out ministries that have over spent the approved budget of fiscal year 2007 and they are:
– Ministry of Presidential Affairs 499 percent
– Ministry of Cabinet Affairs 325 percent
– Vice President Office 320 percent
– Local Government Board 123 percent
– President Office 75 percent
– Ministry of Environment, Wildlife Conservation and Tourism 60 percent
– Ministry of Regional and International Cooperation 36 percent
– Finance and Economic Planning 31 percent
While those ministries who under spent their approved budgets are:
– Ministry of Telecommunication and Postal services 93 percent
– Ministry of Transports and Roads 90 percent
– Electricity Corporation 87 percent
– Urban Water Corporation 86 percent
– Ministry of Cooperation and Rural Development 82 percent
– Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation 79 percent
– Southern Sudan Land Commission 77 percent
– Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry 75 percent
– Ministry of Industry and Mining 72 percent
– Ministry of Health and Civil Service Commission each 71 percent
– Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs 69 percent
In a similar development, the morning session was chaired by, Dr. Jimmy Wongo Miji, chairperson of public account committee of SSLA, where the lawmakers passed three draft bills during their second readings and referred them to the committee of Legislative and legal affairs as follows:
– SSLA lawmakers today has passed by acclamation the Judiciary draft Bill of 2007 was passed by 39 votes and referred to the committee of Legislative and Legal affairs for final presentation in the third reading. However, 19 voted for continuation of the debate while 15 abstained from voting, and the total voters were 63.
– The Kush Institution draft bill of 2007 passed for the third reading by 44 four votes in favour, eight voted for withdrawal of the bill to be send back to the councilor of minister for further scrutiny while 17 abstained from voting, total of 69 MPs voted.
– The Judicial Service Council Bill of 2007 was also passed and referred to committee of Legislative and Legal affairs for final presentation in the third reading.
Most of the lawmakers interviewed described the budget as being one of the best in the past three years of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement era.
The committee commended the ministry of finance for introducing income tax of 10% through provisional order that was recently adopted.
Regarding Recommendations on Revenue, the august house charged the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning with collection of revenues in Southern Sudan on value added tax and custom duties, Airport and river transport charges, Immigration and Nationality charges and must enforce compliance in the revenue collection accordingly.
SSLA also directs all revenue generating ministries and agencies of GoSS to redouble their efforts in the collection of their respective revenues and timely remittance to Goss treasury.
The ten states are asked to make their own budgets that should include their own revenues projected as prescribed in the CPA, Interim National Constitution (INC) and Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan(ICSS).
No money shall be withdrawn from reserves with out the approval of southern Sudan legislative assembly. This is stipulated in article 88 (3) of interim constitution of southern Sudan 2005 which states; “Surplus funds over revenue estimates and funds out of the legal reserve shall not also be spent save by a supplementary appropriation law.”
Regarding recommendation on expenditure, the legislators directs ministry of finance and economic planning to release funds on time to respective ministries and agencies according to their respective approved budgets.
Also, the ministry of Finance and Economic Planning must furnish Southern Sudan legislative assembly bi-annual financial reports and further recommends that what was brought to the assembly as a supplementary budget be deferred to the first session of 2008 when the audited accounts of GoSS would have been finalized and endorsed.
While the capital expenditure not spent in fiscal year 2007 should be carried forward to fiscal year 2008 in order to meet on going contractual commitments.
Ministry Finance and Economic Planning was directed to separate the budgets of the judiciary and the one of the president of GoSS emoluments and south Sudan state house and others as provided for by articles 128 (1) and (3), and 90(4) of the ICSS.
The parliament also noted that Awiel Meiram road has never been part of the program of the government of southern Sudan and yet a total of $134,000,000 was paid during fiscal year 2006 and $48 million for fiscal year 2007. And in fiscal year 2008 budget another sum of Sudanese pounds ($30 million) is allocated for the same road.
Therefore, requested the minister of Transport and Roads to come and brief the house about Aweil road project and why some strategic roads such as the Wau-Raja, Bor-Ayod, Waat-Akobo, Malakal- Gambella roads, roads connecting southern Sudan with DRC are left out.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers also urged the ministry of transports and roads to redouble its efforts in connecting states through roads building ports for river transport such as port at Lake No and Shambe among others.
They further directed minister of Finance and Economic planning to transfer from foreign travel fund of the Southern Sudan peace commission and add it to the domestic travel to enable the commission carry out effective activities at the states and grassroots levels.
Also they demanded that the sum of Sudanese pounds 50,000 be transferred from emergency disaster relief and be added to grants to support the war disabled enterprises and co-operatives.
The august house recommends reallocation of the ministry of Gender; social welfare and religious affairs sum of Sudanese pounds 210,000 for domestic and 154,000 for foreign travel to enable the ministry move to the states where their presence is not yet felt by grassroots since establishment of CPA in January 2005.
The legislators also recommends that SPLA Affairs budget for fiscal year 2008 be readjusted for chapter one salary and wages to Sudanese pounds 700 million, operation cost at 200 million and 100 million for capital expenditure.
Additional sum of Sudanese pounds 1,740,000 was recommended to De-Mining Authority to acquire de-mining equipments for speedy clearance of land mines and other unexploded ordinances and reduce its reliance on foreign NGOs/UN agencies.
Regarding the transfer to the states, that the budget proposal should be adopted as it is but special provisions should be made to address imbalances in favour of new states such as Warrap, Jonglei, Western Equatoria, Lakes, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Eastern Equatoria.
Present MPS in the hall were 89 and those with permission were ten.
(ST)