EDITORIAL: Budget support, implementation is now the definitive factor

In days to come, Parliament will approve the Financial Year 2016/17 National Budget that the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning presented on Wednesday. The Rwf1,949.4 billion Budget Proposal will largely be financed through domestic revenues to an estimated tune of Rwf1,216 billion, or 62 per cent of the total Budget. This is an increase of Rwf40.9 billion compared to the previous Budget, a testament of the government’s resolve to gradually phase out reliance on donor funding for the National Budget. However, the road is not a smooth one. A budget is but a budget, but it is also a firm standing of the path a government has resolved to take. To achieve this grand dream for the nation in just another 365 days beginning July 1, the government will continue to widen tax base to mobilise domestic revenue. Ultimately, this calls for all the players, from the common man to small-scale traders, from medium-to-large-scale traders and industrialists to local governments, to do their part in complementing the government’s effort. For instance, expanding coverage of electronic billing machines in domestic tax collections will see the government raise a lot of revenue that is otherwise missed through evasions. The campaign to have all traders embrace EBMs would have to be beefed up even more. However, more than anything else, it is important that traders know that compliance is for the good of the nation and that the end result is a win-win situation for all. This is even given more credence in the theme of the Budget, which will be mobilised and implemented under the theme, “Fostering growth while increasing exports and boosting Made-in-Rwanda goods and services.” No doubt a big challenge in this theme, but not insurmountable for a patriotic people that Rwandans are. Authorities will also have to get tougher in dealing with botched implementation of the Budget, especially at local government level. There should be no more room for cases where, even with funds available, several activities stall or remain at the implementation stage by the time the financial year is winding down due to ineffectiveness in Budget Implementation. This frustrates development. The plus is that the 2016/17 Budget has put a lot of emphasis on accountability, which means budget planners won’t have a room to lax.

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EDITORIAL: Budget support, implementation is now the definitive factor