Provinces called to submit budgets

DEPUTY Prime Minister and Treasurer Charles Abel, has called on provinces that are yet to submit their 2019 budgets to have them submitted this week.
Abel said this in Port Moresby on Friday when receiving 2019 provincial budgets from Southern Highlands, Madang, West New Britain and East New Britain.
“I am instructing Treasury officials to go through all the budgets that we have received and have them cleared by Wednesday.
“If there are any issues, we have to get it fixed quickly.
“My aim is to get everything cleared quickly and that’s my instruction to Treasury officials.
“I can say generally that most of the provincial governments have sent in their budgets.
“I want to make sure that all the provincial/district and local level government budgets which are contained in the provincial government budget presented to Treasury are cleared by the end of this month.
“I want the provincial governments to make sure that their provincial assemblies are conducted and give Treasury the budget in the third week of February, so that we have the last week of February to process and clear them.
“I’m fairly confident that some of the outstanding ones which include the National Capital District, Central, Eastern Highlands, Oro and Western Highlands should have them submitted to Treasury Department quickly.”
Abel said it was a requirement under the law that all provincial government must submit their annual budgets to Treasury to verify and give approvals before they could be implemented.