MTEF will be passed before we consider 2017 budget – Senate

The 2017 appropriation bill will not be considered even after presentation to the National Assembly until the 2017-2019 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper, the Senate has said.

Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah stated that the budget will not be passed until the MTEF/FSP framework had been approved.

He said, “What people don’t understand is that the approval of the MTEF is not a precondition for accepting the budget, but it is a precondition for passing the budget into law. I want you to understand the difference.

“What does the MTEF entail? It is giving us a graphic expectation of a country and of its income, either perceived, derived or accrued. Now, if the President presents the budget on Wednesday, which we hope will be presented, the Senate will now go ahead to approve the MTEF so that it will provide the foundation for us to examine what has been presented by the President on Wednesday as a budget of the nation for the 2017 year.”

The Senate had criticized and rejected the MTEF framework twice, stating that it didn’t represent the true state of the economy and was “empty”.

The President is also expected to present the 2017 appropriation bill to the joint session of the National Assembly on December 14.

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