With the debate into the 2022 national budget winding down, the Opposition is against a planned move by the Government to get the Assembly to cut back the number of days and the time that is usually set aside for the examination of the budget estimates and the questioning of the estimates in the Committee of Supplies.

There are reports that the Government is proposing that the number of days for the examination of the estimates be reduced from five days to four and that the time to be allocated for examination of each budget agency be reduced from 30 minutes to 10 minutes.

A senior Opposition official told News Source that any such move by the PPP Government will be fully rejected by the Opposition since it will not allow the careful and transparent examination of the estimates. 

The official explained that a 10-minute allocation for the examination of the finances going to an agency would limit the Opposition to asking no more than one or two questions on that agency’s budget.

The Opposition believes that the country’s largest budget ever and the first using money from the oil resources, should be carefully examined. 

This year’s $552.9 Billion budget represents a more than 40% increase over last year’s budget.  

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