How South Sudan will spend SSP338 budget
The national parliament on Thursday finally passed the long-awaited budget for the 2021–2022 fiscal year, containing a rise of SSP 51 billion.
The breakthrough came after the committee analysed some of the concerns raised by the clusters that demanded more allocations to the spending agencies.
On Monday, the August House had its first session for the fiscal year 2021-2022 and the committee’s second reading was passed to the third reading stage with some observations and amendments.
The Committee on Finance and Planning Chairperson, Changkuoth Bichiock Reth, presented the final readings to the August House, saying the committee critically analysed the concerns that were raised by the cluster which demanded more allocations to the spending agencies.
“However, the committee was able to raise the budget ceiling to SSP 338,043,747,701,” Reth said of the 2021-2022 budget during its third reading yesterday.
Issues raised
According to Reth, there was an overpaid amount to Sudan for the TFA at the tune of $13.9 million that was left hanging.
“The Ministry of Finance and Planning still gave to Sudan in the FY2021-22 budget, an amount of 840,000 barrels per month as the TFA while the money owed to Sudan was cleared off in December 2021,” Reth stated.
He said the non-oil revenue collection is increasing as it was reported by the commissioner-general in a presentation in the August house.
“The difference according to the benchmark price of crude oil of $100 minus $ 63 equals $37.”
“From the SSP 338,043,747,701, there is a surplus of SSP 174,545,280,000,” Reth said, adding that the committee recommends this surplus money to be allocated to the spending agencies.
“Ministry of public service and human resource development SSP10,000,000, Agriculture Bank of South Sudan SSP 5,000,000,000, Constituency Development Fund SSP8,611,080,483, Ministry of Peace Building SSP 179,454,525, Urban Water Corporation SSP 233,956,617, TNLA SSP34,680,211,008, Council of States SSP 4,203,156,357.
“Parliamentary Service Commission SSP 9,921,650, Ministry of Finance and Planning to clear Cooperative Bank balance of SSP 544,239,368, Ministry of Higher Education Science and technology Renovation and Domestic Travel SSP 966,000,000 and Ministry of Trade and Industry SSP 60,000,000”
Last month, the Minister of Finance and Planning Agak Achuil Lual presented to the Revitalised Transitional National Legislature the FY 2021/22 budget as SSP 287.0 billion.
According to the budget expenditure measures, the SSP 287.0 billion, 84.1 billion which represent 29.3 percent is proposed to go to wages and salaries, SSP 82.9 billion which represent 28.9 billion for the use of goods and services, SSP 46.5 billion which represent 16.2 per cent was earmarked for other capital expenditures while SSP 15.0 billion which also represented 5.2 percent of the budget has been earmarked to go towards peace implementation and SSP 6.4 billion which represents 2.2 percent, is for contingency for unforeseen circumstances
“Other proposed expenditures by chapter are transfers to the states and other international obligations at SSP 51.9 billion which represent 18.1 percent of the budget and other expenditures of SSP 231.7 million which represent 0.1 percent of the budget respectfully.’’
Achuil added that in terms of the functional classification by the FY 2021/2022 budget proposed increased allocations to the social sector of education, health, social and humanitarian affairs
Allocations to the social sectors have increased to SSP 80.2 billion from SSP 31.2 billion in FY2020/2021 which represent an increase of 157.1 present from last year, “he said.
