Minister Introduces Next Fiscal Year’s Budget To Parliament

 AVA-  The Minister of Finance introduced the draft budget for the next fiscal year of 1397 (March 2018 to March 2019) to the Wolesi Jirga, Lower House of Parliament. 
 
The draft also includes an outlook for the national budget for another upcoming two years, the finance minister said.
 
Finance Minister Eklil Hakimi said at the Wolesi Jirga on Wednesday that the draft budget paints a clear image of the country’s financial affairs, the financial risks and the conditional debt. 
 
Serious reforms have been brought to the upcoming year’s budget and it has been made based on the people’s requirements, he said. 
 
“This budget has been prepared by considering the financial resources, Afghanistan-inclusive development programs, economic development, spending capacity of government offices, the national framework of peace and national development of the country and the commitments of the Afghan government to the people and to the international community,” he added.
 
Hakimi said that so far they have collected 152.5 billion AFs from government’s income which is 30 billion AFs more than last year. 
 
He said they have predicted next year’s income amount to 169.5 billion AFs.
 
“The 25 percent increase in the national incomes from 122 billion AFs in 1394 (solar year) to 152.5 billion AFs in 1396 (solar year) shows 30 million AFs addition in the incomes,” he stated.
 
Meanwhile, a number of lawmakers said there was a delay in the budget being sent to parliament. 
 
“A government which cannot introduce its budget on time, how can we expect that it will serve the people”,” asked Ramazan Bashardost, an MP from Kabul.
 
The next fiscal year’s budget totals 361.9 billion AFs of which 267 billion AFs is the normal budget and 93.7 billion AFs is the development budget.
 
The draft budget for next year was approved by Meshrano Jirga, Upper House of Parliament, on Tuesday.
 
The budget includes big infrastructural projects and 38 development projects. The majority of the budget has been allocated for security agencies, education sector, infrastructure, agriculture and rural development, according to the finance ministry.