President to present Budget 2024 to Parliament on November 13

The Appropriation Bill 2024 will be presented to Parliament in the second week of October, State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya stated. 

President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as Minister of Finance, will present the Second Reading of Budget 2024 to Parliament on November 13. 

The debate on the Second Reading of Budget 2024 will accordingly be held from November 14 to 21 and the vote on the Second Reading will be held on the evening of November 24, Mr Siyambalapitiya revealed. 

The Committee Stage debate of Budget 2024 will commence thereafter and will run from November 25 to December 13. The vote on the Third Reading will be held on December 13. 

State Minister Siyambalapitiya said once the Budget is approved, the government hopes to make it in to law with the certification of the Speaker by December 27. Accordingly, after December 31, all allocations for state expenditure will be made as per the newly approved Budget, he stressed. 

Mr Siyambalapitiya added that the government has directed more focus towards expenditure related to health and welfare for the upcoming Budget. As such, welfare payments, which amounted to Rs. 65 billion this year, has soared to Rs. 185 billion in the upcoming Budget, he noted.