The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta will present the 2023 mid-year budget review in Parliament today, Monday, July 31, 2023.
Originally slated for July 27, 2023, the presentation was rescheduled to July 25, 2023, only to be canceled.
“In accordance with Section 28 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), the Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of Ghana for the 2023 Financial Year, is expected to be presented to Parliament on Monday, 31st July 2023,” the Finance Ministry announced in a statement.
The presentation will provide an update on the implementation of the 2023 Budget, with insights into the economic and fiscal performance for the first half of the year.
It will discuss policies implemented to stabilize the economy, promote growth and provide social protection for the vulnerable as outlined in the IMF-supported Post COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG).
In focusing on the outlook, the budget-review statement will outline the critical imperatives to restore macroeconomic stability and accelerate Ghana’s economic transformation.
The issues that will be highlighted according to the Finance Ministry include structural reforms in expenditure commitment control and arrears clearance; debt management; financial stability and a growth agenda, amongst others.
“In line with usual practice, we wish to indicate that Government will undertake the Post-Budget Engagements to explain the various policy choices to the public,” the Ministry of Finance added in its statement.
MPs share expectations
In an interview, the Members of Parliament shared their expectations for the mid-year budget review.
They said that they hope that the government will reduce taxes, aggregate the various taxes, and provide more funding for the educational sector and the school feeding programme.
It will discuss policies implemented to stabilize the economy, promote growth and provide social protection for the vulnerable as outlined in the IMF-supported Post COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG).
In focusing on the outlook, the budget-review statement will outline the critical imperatives to restore macroeconomic stability and accelerate Ghana’s economic transformation.
The issues that will be highlighted according to the Finance Ministry include structural reforms in expenditure commitment control and arrears clearance; debt management; financial stability and a growth agenda, amongst others.
“In line with usual practice, we wish to indicate that Government will undertake the Post-Budget Engagements to explain the various policy choices to the public,” the Ministry of Finance added in its statement.
The Member of Parliament for Dormaa East, Paul Twum Barimah, also expressed hope that the mid-year budget review will not come with any new taxes.
He said that the economy is already under strain and that the government should focus on reducing taxes rather than increasing them.
“The whole country is in a specter mood, I strongly believe this mid-year budget review will not come with any tax. My expectation is that the minister of finance should consider the current situation of Ghanaians and see how we can manage the economy,” Member of Parliament for Dormaa East envisaged.
Source:citinewsroom
