Public Report on the 2021 Budget: Assessment on Whether the Expenditure Allocations and Taxation Policies are in Line with the Governments Policy

Abstract

This report will assist the public and other stakeholders in understanding the adequacy, credibility and prioritisation of the government’s expenditure allocations and taxation policies and the extent to which these are in line with the government’s policies. In doing so, this assessment also allows these stakeholders, including parliament, to understand where improvements can be made, and engage the executive arm of government to achieve the necessary change. Section I provides an overview of the report, making note of the constraints and qualifications that are pertinent to its assessment, and presents a summary of findings. The substantive analysis of the present report is set out in Sections II and Section III. It is followed by an Annex that provides additional information. In Section II, the report identifies eight sectors that are relevant to key policy priorities of the government i.e. (i) Health, (ii) Defence, (iii) Infrastructure, (iv) Trade and Industry (v) Environment (vi) Education, (vii) Agriculture, Irrigation and Fisheries, and (viii) Social Empowerment and Protection and assesses whether the 2021 Budget proposed to the Parliament is in accordance with the stated priorities. Policy priorities of each sector are identified using the official national policy framework summary “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour” published on the website of the Ministry of Finance. In addition, the report also highlights issues in Informational Standards and Due Diligence of the budget.