Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
The Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) has observed that the 2020 national budget is full of contradictions as many policy pronouncements are not being supported with spending and tax changes.
CTPD Executive Director Isaac Mwaipopo says his organization is concerned that the proposed budget has not carried enough matching measures to support the proposed theme:”Focusing National Priorities towards Stimulating the Domestic Economy”.
Mr Mwaipopo notes that government seems to have only improved its assessment of the current economic challenges and pronouncement of measures to be taken but not translated these into meaningful policy changes and commitments.
He points out that while government seeks to ensure debt sustainability, the road infrastructure agenda is expected to continue in the 2020 national budget following an allocation of K10.6 billion and projected increase in debt financing.
Mr Mwaipopo has wondered how government will be able to create fiscal space when it is clearly failing to muzzle its appetite for spending on projects which has clearly not yielded enough returns towards debt servicing.
He says CTPD further notes with concern that the total budget allocation has increased from K86.8 billion to K106.0 billion which is way above the planned expenditure for 2020 in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework.