News:
March 27, 2013
|
Parliament on Wednesday approved the 2013 Appropriation Bill by taking it through all the necessary stages to allow government to withdraw monies from the Consolidated Fund and other funds for the running of the country for the 2013 financial year. A total of GHc 31,845,664,819.00 to be issued from the consolidated fund for the purposes of meeting government expenditure was approved by the House. The Bill is divided into 5 clauses and 2 schedules. Clause 1 deals with sum of money to be issued from the consolidated Fund for the 2013 financial year. Clause 2 deals with internally Generated Funds while Clause 3 talks of the payment of money on authorization of Minister for Finance. Clause 4 spells out the commencement date of the Appropriation Act and Clause 5 seeks to repeal the Appropriation Act of 2012. Schedule 1 provides for the total appropriation expenditure by items and schedule 2 provides a breakdown of total IGF retention for 2013. In debating the report of the Finance Committee on the Appropriation Bill, the Ranking Member of the Committee, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei bemoaned the practice where state institutions overspend their budget, noting that in 2012 the Appropriation Bill was exceeded but no one was held accountable, a situation he expressed regret for. He urged the Finance Ministry to liaise with Parliament to enact clauses that will impose sanctions on anyone who overspends the Appropriation Bill, adding that as a House Parliament must be concerned about how the ordinary tax payers’ monies are used. The Deputy Minority Leader, Dominic Nitiwul who also expressed similar concerns called on Parliament to bare its teeth by enacting stringent laws to check such unauthorized spending. He noted that even the Controller and Accountant General which was expected to check such anomalies itself overspent it budget.“ If the gatekeepers themselves are dipping their hands into the soup, them how much more the thieves” He added. However an attempt by the MP for Akuapem North, Hon. W.O Boafo to amend a portion of the Appropriation Bill recommending a jail term of not less than 15 years for anyone found to have overspent the appropriation was harshly short down by the Majority side. The Majority Leader Benjamin Kunbour, explained that his objection to the amendment was because his colleague’s intervention was irrelevant to the Appropriation Bill and should not be entertained. Kwadwo Anim/GhanaMPs.gov.gh |