PPP/C cautioned not to prepare budget without prior consultation with opposition.

Georgetown- A Partnership for National Unity (A.P.N.U) Presidential Candidate Brigadier David Granger has issued an urgent call for the establishment of a Tri-Partite Budget Committee. The call comes before the convening of the 10th Parliament, expected to take place later this year
Mr. Granger has suggested that the proposed Tri-Partite Budget Committee be convened as early as possible to oversee preparation of the Budget (and subsequent budgets). This Committee will, among other things:

· collaborate with the Bank of Guyana, Statistical Bureau and other departments in presenting an accurate and detailed picture of the economy;

· identify all sources of funds and examine potential sources of new funds;

· propose tax reform measures, including the lowering of VAT and personal income tax, with their likely impact on revenue and economic growth;

· propose the inclusion of programmes and projects consistent with public needs identified during the elections (e.g., a job-creation, community-renewal, improved education and poverty-alleviation programmes); and

· examine all categories of expenditure and recommend areas where expenditure could be adjusted, foregone, revised, reviewed, renewed or removed.

The country’s 2012 Budget must be presented to the National Assembly no later than 30th March 2012 and must be passed no later than 29th April. Based on the declared results of the 28th November general and regional elections, however, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic administration was allocated 32 seats and the combined opposition – A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change parties – 33 seats, in the National Assembly.

Mr. Granger said that, in light of the allocation of seats, it would be inadvisable for the PPP/C administration to proceed to prepare a budget to be brought before the National Assembly without prior consultation with the opposition APNU and AFC.