Legislature approves draft Expenditures for the Fiscal Year 2010

The estimates of revenues, recurrent and development expenditures for the fiscal year 2010, were approved by the National Assembly late Wednesday night at the Parliament building in Banjul.

Submitting estimates of Revenues, Recurrent and Development Expenditures for the Fiscal Year 2010 at the fourth meeting of the legislative 2009, Gambian minister for finance and economic affairs Abdou Kolley, said the legal requirements for the presentation of the government budget to the National Assembly are detailed out in the 1997 Constitution.

He added that the budget management and accountability Act of 2004. Section 152 (1) of the 1997 Constitution of the republic of The Gambia, requires the President to instruct the Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs to prepare and submit to the National Assembly, at leas 30 days before the end of each Financial Year, the estimates of Revenues and Expenditures of The Gambia for the following year.

These estimates shall include any estimates, which under the 1997 constitution, are to be submitted directly to the President by the Chief Justice or any other authority for presentation by the President to the National Assembly.

According to the finance minister, section 52 (1a) of the Constitution requires the National Assembly within a maximum period of 14 days, after receiving the 2010 estimates of Revenues, Recurrent and Development Expenditures, to consider and approve the Estimates.

Kolley further said, section 22 (1) of the Budget Management and Accountability Act of 2004 equally requires the Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs to lay before the National Assembly, the Appropriation Bill Documents, at least 30 days before the end of the financial year. Section 25 of this Act specifies the content of the Appropriation Bill Documents adding that these Documents are now incorporated in the documents on the estimates being presented to National Assembly.

He point out that Budge Management and Accountability Act further states that the National Assembly may appoint, temporarily or permanently, a small core of technical staff to assist in gathering information, making research and analysis on issues pertinent to its deliberations and resolutions on the budgets submitted to it by the him.

“In the course of the presentation of the estimates of Revenues, and Recurrent and Development Expenditures for 2010, the basic assumptions and underlying considerations for the budget will be highlighted. At the onset, allow me to reiterate Government’s steadfastness and determination in continuing during the 2009 budget period. Government will therefore, continue to consolidate on the gains registered during the past year”, he concluded.