Opposition unveils priorities in Shs43t alternative budget

The shadow cabinet led by the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP), Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, on April 8 unveiled Opposition’s Shs43 trillion alternative budget for the next financial year, 2024/2025, with the budget’s major focus being directed towards observing humans rights and strengthening the fight against corruption.

The Opposition’s alternative budget, which is less by Shs15 trillion compared to the proposed national budget of Shs58 trillion, was unveiled at Parliament under the theme; ‘Fostering resilient communities by combating corruption and promoting efficient service delivery:  A human rights-based approach to resources allocation’. 

Target
The Opposition leaders, at the launch, emphasised that the budget is purely people-centered.

“The realistic total budget should be Shs43.4 trillion. It reduces domestic financing from Shs4.1 trillion to Shs1.2 trillion [and] it gives a sound revenue collection of Shs33.4 trillion,” the Shadow minister for finance, Mr Ibrahim Ssemujju, said during the alternative budget launch on April 8.

“It reduces external borrowing from Shs8.8 trillion to Shs5.4 trillion and reduces the debt rollover from Shs9.4 trillion to Shs4.1 trillion. It also adds Shs287.1 billion to the estimated local revenue. Total budget, therefore, reduces from Shs58 trillion to Shs43.4 trillion,” he added.

Unrealistic
Mr Ssemujju further explained that the Shs58 trillion national budget, which was presented by the government last month, is bloated and unrealistic, saying it has become a government norm to prepare annual budgets on speculations rather than on sound analysis and forecasts.

“The last financial year 2022/2023, finance made Parliament appropriate a budget of Shs52 trillion, issued a warrant for Shs49 trillion and eventually mobilised and spent Shs43 trillion. It is clear that the government prepared the annual budget based on speculations,” he said.

Last week, a section of legislators accused the Executive of deliberately ballooning the budget to increase the amount allowed to them to spend without parliamentary approval. 

Led by the Chairperson of the House Public Accounts Committee and Butambala County legislator, Mr Muwanga Kivumbi, legislators argued that an analysis of the past five financial years shows the government does not use more than Shs45 trillion.

Priorities 
Although the government’s 2024/2025 budget prioritises peace and security, road maintenance and construction of both meter gauge and standard gauge rails, among others, the alternative budget’s priorities include financial prudence and accountability, modernisation of agriculture, improving preventive healthcare system  and ensuring quality education.

Other priorities are improving observance of human rights and rule of law, development and maintenance of infrastructure, as well as the creation of jobs through developing and empowering private sector enterprises.

Budget Financing
The Opposition proposes that next financial year’s budget should not include funding for luxurious items such as ceremonies, donations, special meals, entertainment, travels abroad, and seminars. Money spent on buying, fuelling, and maintenance of fleets is also among the deprioritised items in the alternative budget.

While presenting the alternative budget, Mr Ssemujju noted that where funding of such items is inevitable, minimum resources should be devoted and be reconsidered for funding after clearing or significantly reducing the current national debt of Shs96 trillion.

“If we reduce the budget of luxurious items, we will make a Shs1.2 trillion saving. The savings should then be used to bridge the funding gap in health, education and tourism,” he said.

According to 2024/2025 proposed national budget, ceremonies and state functions were allocated Shs34b; inland travels for Shs671b; travel abroad allocated Shs108b; workshops, meetings and seminars were allocated Shs152b; special meals and drinks allocated Shs297b; while Shs163b and Shs133b were earmarked for donations and entertainment, respectively.

In the alternative budget, the Opposition proposes a 75 percent slash on all the above ‘luxurious’ expenditures.

Reactions
Addressing the shadow cabinet during the alternative budget launch, Mr Ssenyonyi emphasised that the government should focus on eliminating corrupt behaviours among civil servants rather than introducing new taxes on top of the current tax burden, which is suffocating the business community. 

“Corruption remains a pervasive and insidious problem that undermines the fabric of our society and there is no way our country’s resource envelope will benefit the citizenry, for as long as the huge portion is lost to thieves at different levels of government,” Mr Ssenyonyi said.

“It is no wonder that the government is proposing to increase taxes on certain commodities and services which are going to further burden the population that is already not seeing adequate service delivery for the taxes they have been paying. We need to save the money that is stolen by the thieves so that we don’t need to dig deeper into the pockets of the struggling citizenry,” he added.

Focus
Equally, the President of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, urged the Opposition legislators not to feel comfortable in their current shadow cabinet positions, but to work towards unseating the current regime as the only way to liberate their electorates from poor service deliveries.

“We shall propose all these issues, no matter how good or well-intended our alternatives are, it won’t make any difference for as long as we don’t have any power to implement those good ideas. We must channel all our energy, passion and abilities towards removing the regime and reorganising the country,” Mr Kyagulanyi said.

ALTERNATIVE BUDGET ALLOCATIONS 

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