‘Provinces can use internal revenue for services’

National

PROVINCES have been urged to use their internal revenue on service delivery when national government grants are delayed.
Planners and senior government officers from the Mamose region were told to practise the exercise during a national economic fiscal commission Mamose regional workshop in Madang last week.
The team discussed the 2018 to 2022 medium-term development plan three and suggested a way forward in implementing major government projects aimed at delivering within the time frame.
Senior budget officer at the Department of Treasury Amos Ropkil said there were times when grants were released late to the provinces and in that period provinces should use their internal revenue to continue delivering services, especially in implementing their MTDP3 plans.
Ropkil said this year’s budget was framed under a difficult economic climate and had been driven to align with government priorities.
The priorities were tuition fee-free for education, free primary healthcare and medical drugs, provincial and district rural health programmes, local level government elections, law and order, court house and manpower for the disciplined forces.
Other priorities were funds for wards, district and provincial improvements such as roads and airports, agriculture, tourism and small to medium enterprises.
Investing in revenue generation in line with agents like Customs, Lands and support for revenue collection was a way forward.
Revenues collected by provinces could be used to implement the MTDP3 when funding from the central government did not arrive on time.