The House of Representatives referred the two draft laws on the general budget and the budget of government units for the fiscal year 2022, to its financial committee, during its session, today, Monday, headed by the Speaker of the Council, Lawyer Abdel Karim Al-Daghmi, and in the presence of the Ministry’s body.

The government sent the two bills to the House of Representatives on the 28th of last month, as Article 112 of the constitution stipulates that the general budget be referred to the National Assembly at least one month before the start of the fiscal year for consideration, and it is expected that the Parliamentary Finance Committee will soon begin discussing the two bills with the concerned parties. And over a period of at least three weeks, in preparation for drawing up its report and recommendations on them and submitting them to the Council.

The deputies also agreed to refer the Audit Bureau’s reports for the years 2019 and 2020 to the Finance Committee.

The Council had listened to the government’s speech regarding the two bills, delivered by Finance Minister Dr. Muhammad Al-Assis, where he indicated that there is no alternative to continuing to promote the approach of self-reliance, by empowering promising human resources and providing them with science and professional and technical skills that raise their competitive advantage as well as continuing In economic, financial and structural reforms with the aim of achieving comprehensive and sustainable growth, indicating that the current budget is the third in a row during which the government is committed not to impose new taxes.

He pointed out that the 2022 budget came to be the starting point for an ambitious government program that consolidates the pillars of economic recovery, which was prepared within a comprehensive framework that takes into account economic and political developments and embodies the national priorities that emerged from the royal directives of the government to establish a clear-cut economic work program linked to specific time periods for its implementation in order to achieve Economic recovery, in addition to embodying the concept of responsible partnership when preparing the budget through openness to government partners in the private sector and civil society activities, within the framework of transparency, in order to achieve the higher interest of the country and to enhance confidence in the present and future of our dear country.

The budget estimates total expenditures during the next year at 10.6 billion dinars, compared to 9.8 billion dinars re-estimated for the current year, while the value of expected public revenues is 8.9 billion dinars, compared to 8.1 billion dinars re-estimated for the year 2021, and an expected deficit of 1.7 billion dinars, Compared to 2.05 billion dinars for the year 2021.

The budget also expects to achieve a growth of 2.7 percent, and external grants are estimated at 848 million dinars, compared to 840 million dinars re-estimated for 2021.

(Petra)