Budget dominates order paper as parliament resumes

Apr 29, 2015

After a two weeks recess, Parliament is expected to reconvene on Thursday and start on the process of considering the 2015/2016 financial year budget.

By Henry Sekanjako and Moses Walubiri

After a two weeks recess, Parliament is expected to reconvene on Thursday and start on the process of considering the 2015/2016 financial year budget.

Early this month, the Speaker of Parliament adjourned the House to allow different parliament’s sessional committees scrutinize the budget framework paper and ministerial policy statements for various ministries and government agencies.

“The House is resuming today and high on the agenda are tax Bills which are key in consideration of the budget. We also expect the budget committee to table before parliament budget reports from different committees,” Jane Kibirige the clerk to parliament told New Vision in a phone interview.

Last year Parliament passed the Public Finance Management Act which requires parliament to approve the national budget by May 31. Previously the deadline was August 31.

The Budget has traditionally been read in June but with the new Act, Parliament is required to approve the Budget before it is read by the finance minister.

 Kibirige noted that Parliament is also expected to consider different petitions and committee reports which were pending before parliament went on recess.

About the constitutional Amendment Bill, Kibirige said the government had not yet notified parliament on when they should be included on the order paper for the first reading.

“We are still waiting for the communication from the government on when the Constitutional Amendment Bill should be put on the order paper as soon as we receive the request we shall definitely put it on the order paper,” said Kibirige.

On Tuesday, the government unveiled the long-awaited constitutional amendments Bill ahead of the 2016 general elections.

The proposals contained in the constitutional Amendment Bill 2015, call for the change of the current Electoral commission to the independent Electoral commission among other proposals. Ends.

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