Report reveals spending up by 8 per cent

TREASURER Ian Ling-Stuckey told Parliament that the 2019 final budget outcome (FBO) report had revealed an expenditure increase from that year’s supplementary budget estimate of K16.525 million up to K17.852mil, an increase of K1.327mil (8 per cent).
Ling-Stuckey, who presented the report to Parliament yesterday, said none of the funding was direct Government expenditure which recorded a small drop of K1mil.
He said the final budget outcome continued with honest and transparent approach of the Marape-Steven Government in the 2019 supplementary budget.
“It represents another step on the pathway forward on how we can take back PNG,” Ling-Stuckey said.
“There were two very large drivers of much higher levels of expenditure than expected.
“The first was that support from other countries, through donor grant programmes was nearly double.”
He said the 2019 budget and supplementary budget levelled an extra K932mil from the K943mil in the 2019 budgets, (original and supplementary), to an estimated outcome of K1.755mil.
“This is a massive variation.
“There was an expectation that donor funding would decline as the security and other support for the 2018 Apec extravaganza passed.
“Instead, the donor support is being maintained, well above the levels seen prior to Apec and this is a very positive comment.”