Kramer describes 2017 mini budget as misleading

National

MADANG MP Bryan Kramer has described the 2017 Supplementary Budget as misleading to the people of Papua New Guinea.
He said this in response to the 2017 Supplementary Budget tabled by Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Charles Abel last Wednesday to cut back expenditures committed in the 2017 Budget and to redirect funding to other areas.
“A total of K513 million in government spending was cut back while K800 million initially committed to funding development programmes was redirected to service other areas which were previously not committed,” Kramer said.
“That includes K150m for debt repayment, K430m for public service, K50m for office rentals, K100m for medical supplies payment, K51m for outstanding payments for road and bridge contracts and K18m for other new items.”
He said the most notable cut was 80 per cent slash in provincial and district service improvement programme funds normally allocated to provincial and district MPs to carry out development programmes in their electorates.
“The effect of which means K10m DSIP in 2017 has been cut to just K1.2m, and PSIP K5m per district in the province has been reduced to just K2million for the whole province,” Kramer said.
“At the swearing in of the Madang provincial assembly, I announced that due to mismanagement of the economy by the O’Neill Government, DSIP and PSIP would be slashed to just K1.5 million for 2017.
“The issue was picked up in the press.
“On Sept 20, 2017, O’Neill issued a press statement claiming there would be no cuts in DSIP and PSIP.
“Now what O’Neill did not disclose was that six days earlier, he signed a National Executive Council resolution approving the 80 per cent cuts in PSIP and DSIP.”