Revising 2015 national budget is critical – Hamududu

Highvie Hamududu

Chairperson on the Expanded Parliamentary Committee on Estimates Highvie Hamududu says the revising of the 2015 national budget is critical.

Mr. Hamududu has suggested that this revised national budget will have to be down-sided owing to the fact that the country’s revenue has gone down following the revision of mine taxation regime.

In an interview by telephone Mr. Hamududu has particularly reminded the Patriotic Front government that revising a national budget mid year is not a crime.

Mr. Hamududu has advised that in the revised budget that should be brought to Parliament next month, government has to reprioritize by doing away with a number non essential expenditure that border on wastage.
He says the fact that government has no choice but to rationalize, it should in this case ring fence its budget on poverty reduction programmes.

The Chairperson on the Expanded Parliamentary Committee of Estimates has listed cutting down on both local and international government travels, workshops and reducing the presidential motorcade as some of measures that must be done.

He says this means that there is already an indictment on President Edgar Lungu to start the process himself for it to cascade down to the Ministries and other government departments.