The budget for next year will focus more on measures to reduce the cost of living than on salary increases, Economic Affairs Minister Basil Rajapaksa told the Sunday Times yesterday.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa will present the 2012 Budget in Parliament tomorrow.
“We are focusing more on increasing productivity and thereby reducing the cost of living,” Minister Rajapaksa said.
He said, for instance, the government would focus on improving the livelihood programmes such as ‘Divi Neguma’ where agriculture and fisheries sectors would be given additional benefits to increase production.
“The aim of this will be to keep the prices of essential items low. We believe this will be more effective than salary increases,” he said.
The minister said tax incentives for exporters were also on the cards.
More carpeted roads in all provinces, modernized bus stands, loan schemes for self-employment projects, electricity projects for more villages and a scheme to encourage tourists to stay for at least 48 hours in the country would also be proposed in the budget, he said.
The minister assured the government would continue with the fertilizer subsidy, Samurdhi benefits and free- health facilities. Seven days have been allocated for the Second Reading of the Budget while 17 days have been allocated for the Committee Stage. The final vote will be taken on December 21.
Meanwhile a Select Committee headed by House Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva will discuss the expenditure of 21 ministries due to lack of time to discuss all of them in the House.
Each ministry will get about two hours for a debate by the full House while any further discussions will be in the select committee. |
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