• Despite tight deadlines
• No major changes to the budget
Ln December 24, 2022, the Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT) gave its discharge to the 2023 finance and management law. A unanimous vote. At the same time, the ALT achieves a small feat in terms of timing, because the preliminary draft was only submitted to it on December 05, 2022, it being up to it to vote on it before December 31, in order to avoid that the government be compelled to work by ordinance. Article 170 of the finance law, management 2023, gave the government the latitude to do so no later than December 10, thus derogating in article 25 paragraph 3 of the internal regulations of the ALT which stipulates that « …the finance bill is tabled in the office of the Legislative Assembly of transition at least ninety days before December 31 of the current year”
This budget was therefore adopted in a hurry, when we know that the government was only appointed in November 2022, and 25 days after the coup d’etat of September 30.
The ALT itself validated the mandate of its 71 members, who unanimously voted for the bill, only on November 11, 2022. Tight working deadlines therefore which could have impacted the quality of the examination of the bill. Aware of this constraint, the Committee on Finance and Budget (COMFIB), assigned to the file, has adapted its work plan accordingly.
This is how three sectoral sub-commissions instead of two, according to the texts of the Commission, and a thematic sub-commission were set up. The sectoral sub-commissions cleared the ground from September 26 to 29, 2022, meeting with the technical teams led by the Secretaries General of the ministries and institutions previously selected.
The thematic sub-commission, for its part, discussed with the heads of the revenue authorities (DGI, DGD and DGTCP) and the Directorate General for Cooperation (DGCOOP).
The government now has the means for its policy. He proposed a “combat” budget defended by the Minister of Economy, Finance and Prospective, Aboubakar Nacanabo. This budget incorporates the priorities of the Transition led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
It is characterized by a gap to be filled of 604 billion FCFA for revenue expected at 2,631.3 billion FCFA. The expenditure forecasts, for their part, are estimated at 3,235.9 billion FCFA, with 2,074.6 billion FCFA of ordinary expenditure and 1,161.3 billion FCFA of capital expenditure.
Its examination and adoption did not experience any upheaval. The broad masses subjugated by the government came out intact. And it is not that the deputies did not attempt amendments. Thus, the Commission proposed upward revisions, but gave up on them, after the government’s explanations. For example, in terms of revenue forecasts for Customs and the DGI, “COMFIB has proposed an upward revision of the initial forecasts for this management. However, in view of the voluntarism shown by the government in the initial forecasts, and in view of the explanations provided to the Commission, the initial forecasts of the DGD have been maintained as they stand”. At the level of the DGI, the government had already revised the revenue forecasts of 50 billion FCFA.
COMFIB’s amendments concerned cancellations of payment appropriations and openings of an amount of 14,278,500 FCFA, mainly in the capital expenditure and current expenditure headings.
AT
framed
Budget allocation: 72% increase at La Défense
«The level of allocation of budgetary appropriations of some ministries and institutions at the heart of the Transition’s missions has seen an overall increase of 13.39%, with significant disparities. The most significant variation is observed at the level of the Ministry of National Defense and Veterans Affairs, with an increase of 72.49%. This variation testifies to the will of the transitional government in its determination to overcome terrorism.
It should be noted that the social and humanitarian crisis resulting from insecurity has not been overlooked. The budget of the ministry in charge of these issues increases by 32.20%. Particular emphasis was also placed on the level of credit allocation of institutions participating in good governance. Thus, between the year 2022 and 2023, the budget of the High Authority for State Control and the Fight against Corruption (ASCE-LC) is up by 67.92%” (COMFIB comment).