No changes in 2014 Budget

 TREASURER Don Polye says there will not be any major changes in next year’s budget compared with this year’s.

He said that after arriving in Port Moresby from Washington DC, in the United States of America, where he took up his new position as chairman of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

“Don’t expect anything new,” Polye said of the 2014 Budget.

“The government’s priorities have already been announced: Education, health, infrastructure development, law-and-order.

“We will be consistent in all the major areas that we have announced in accordance with the Alotau Accord.

“Anything outside that, we will concentrate on growing the economy, and don’t forget that we have some new items announced by the Prime Minister, for instance, the 2015 Pacific Games.

“Don’t forget that we have been given the confidence to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in 2018.

“These are new areas that we are looking at in addition to the priority areas.

“We need to spend money in agriculture and Small-Medium Enterprises, these are part of the government priorities. Our aim is to grow the economy. We’ll be spending money to grow the economy.”

APEC is a forum for the 21 member economies that are determined to promote free trade and economic cooperation.