NewsWhore
12-22-2008, 05:30 PM
PLD deputy Alejandro Montas said yesterday that the budget proposal for 2009 should be rescheduled as recommended by Senate president Reinaldo Pared Perez, so that for 2009 just 25% of the US$1.9 billion the government is planning on spending in four years would be assigned to next year's budget.
Montas said that just as suggested by Pared Perez, it would be unconstitutional to approve the entire sum, and he asked Finance Minister Vicente Bengoa to follow the procedures set out by the Constitution and the Budget Law in this case.
Nevertheless, the deputy denied that differences of opinion between Pared Perez and Bengoa had led to an internal government power struggle.
He said that the US$1.9 billion that the government plans to spend on projects over the next four years means that US$373 million are assigned to 2009 in next year's budget.
The deputy indicated that among the projects that will be financed with these resources are the Coral Highway and aqueducts in Bani, Higuey and Samana as well as the hydro-electric dams at La Placeta and Pinalito.
Montas said that the US$1.9 billion represented the total schedule for the financing costs of this administration that ends in 2012.
"The Budget Law says that only the amount of resources that are to be spent in the fiscal year can be assigned in the budget. You can't project the other three years something that does not exist for the year, in this case, 2009," said the deputy.
He added, "Then Reinaldo Pared Perez is right, because Congress cannot approve what is projected for the future, beyond the fiscal year that is covered by the Law of Public Spending."
Montas said that the Minister of Hacienda should detail the programming of the money under consideration, in order to assign, by means of an addendum, the money that belongs to 2009.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
Montas said that just as suggested by Pared Perez, it would be unconstitutional to approve the entire sum, and he asked Finance Minister Vicente Bengoa to follow the procedures set out by the Constitution and the Budget Law in this case.
Nevertheless, the deputy denied that differences of opinion between Pared Perez and Bengoa had led to an internal government power struggle.
He said that the US$1.9 billion that the government plans to spend on projects over the next four years means that US$373 million are assigned to 2009 in next year's budget.
The deputy indicated that among the projects that will be financed with these resources are the Coral Highway and aqueducts in Bani, Higuey and Samana as well as the hydro-electric dams at La Placeta and Pinalito.
Montas said that the US$1.9 billion represented the total schedule for the financing costs of this administration that ends in 2012.
"The Budget Law says that only the amount of resources that are to be spent in the fiscal year can be assigned in the budget. You can't project the other three years something that does not exist for the year, in this case, 2009," said the deputy.
He added, "Then Reinaldo Pared Perez is right, because Congress cannot approve what is projected for the future, beyond the fiscal year that is covered by the Law of Public Spending."
Montas said that the Minister of Hacienda should detail the programming of the money under consideration, in order to assign, by means of an addendum, the money that belongs to 2009.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)