[www.inewsguyana.com] – Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, will present Budget 2014 in the National Assembly on Monday, March 24.
The official announcement was made on Tuesday, March 18 by the Ministry of Finance.
According to the Ministry, “It is expected that this year’s budget will continue to promote the PPP/C’s commitment to accelerate economic growth and social development. It will emphasize macroeconomic stability through the continued creation of investment opportunities, expanding and upgrading physical infrastructure, improving the quality of social services, and strengthening institutional and regulatory environments.”
The Opposition political parties have already signaled their intention to slash sections of the budget if it does not meet the interest of the Guyanese people.
The Opposition had also claimed that they were not consulted by the government on the 2014 budget.
The Finance Ministry on the other hand claims that the compilation of the budget which began in June 2013, follows a number of stakeholder meetings which saw participation from the private sector, labor unions and other interest groups.
“However, despite repeated invitations to the APNU and the AFC, they opted to boycott the consultations. Minister Singh nevertheless calls on the Parliamentary Opposition to embrace the opportunity to work together with Government to ensure smooth passage of the budget through the National Assembly in the coming weeks.”
This year’s budget presentation will be the eighth by Minister Singh, having first presented in 2007 following his appointment as Finance Minister in September 2006.
