2021 budget: Parliament approves GHS129 billion for financing govt’s operation

Parliament has approved GHS129 billion for the services of government for the 2021 financial year.

The sum was captured in the Appropriation Bill.

Before the approval of the Appropriation Bill on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, the House passed the COVID-19 Health Recovery Levy , Energy Sector Levies Amendment, Financial Sector Recovery Levy among others.

Chairman of the Finance Committee, Kwaku Kwarteng in presenting recommendation from the Committee’s report on the Appropriation Bill 2021 said:

“The Committee recommends that the sum of money not exceeding GHS129,032,804,201 be approved and authorized within and issued from the Consolidated Fund as withdrawals for the purpose of financing the government’s operation during the financial year commencing the first day of January 2021 and ending on the 31st day of December 2021.”

He added that the committee, also recommends to the house to pass the Appropriation Bill 2021 into law in accordance with the relevant provisions of the constitution and parliament’s standing orders.

Meanwhile, Parliament has approved GHS 45.5 million for the construction of 70 constituency offices for members.

The House intends to construct 70 offices per year over a four-year period.

Parliament is in these past weeks debating and approving parliamentary budgetary allocations for the various Ministries and other state agencies following the approval of the 2021 Budget Statement and Economic Policy.

For instance, it has approved a budgetary allocation of GHS 854,062,706 for the Energy Ministry and GHS 2,102,103,946 for the Defence Ministry.

Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has said Parliament seeks to pass the Appropriation Bill by March 30, 2021

The Appropriation Bill, when passed, will give authorization for the expenditure of government funds.

---citinewsroom