|
Parliament okays 5.633 trillion cedis
as Supplementary Appropriation for 2006
Accra, March 21, GNA - Parliament on Wednesday gave the
government the green light to issue from the consolidated
fund and other public funds an amount of 5.633 trillion
cedis to supplement the finance of government operations
during the financial ending 31st December 2006.
This followed the passage of the Supplementary Appropriation
Bill by the House for the financial year, in pursuance to
Article 179 (8) and (9) of the 1992 Constitution and the
Standing Orders of the House.
Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Finance and Economic Planning
Minister moved the motion for the approval of the House.
A report by the Finance Committee of the House observed that
as a result of a non-establishment of the modalities for the
Multi-lateral Debt Relief Initiative and other loan
facilities that the country received during the year, they
were not captured in the 2006 Budget Statement and
Government Policy presented in November.
"For the country to take advantage of these additional
resources to enable the realization of the resource
requirement to meet the Millennium Development Goals, it
became necessary for the government to request for approval
of a Supplementary Estimate, which was laid before the House
on 13th July 2006 pursuance to 179 (8) and (9) of the
Constitution," the report said.
The Committee noted the approval of US$20 million under
Investment Activity for the Ghana@50 Celebrations, which was
captured under the Office of the Chief of Staff and Minister
for Presidential Affairs, adding that a total of 805 billion
cedis was used for the payment of Tema Oil Refinery under
recovery and a total of 577 billion was spent on
discretionary payments.
The House also passed the National Reconstruction Levy
(Repeal), the Data Processing Control Board Decree (Repeal),
and the Polytechnic Bills.
The National Reconstruction Levy (Repeal) Bill repeals Act
597 of 2001, which introduced the Levy as a form of tax on
the profit before tax of certain specified companies.
At the time of the introduction of the Levy in 2001 it was
announced that it would not be a permanent feature of the
Ghana tax system and it would eventually be repealed.
Government has repeatedly announced its intention to repeal
the Levy because of the problems it had been posing to the
private sector, and again repeated the intended repeal in
2007 Budget Statement to give the repeal a legal effect.
A Finance Committee report on the repeal said the
Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), the Ghana Chamber of
Commerce and the financial community also made
representations appealing to government to repeal the Levy
Act of 2001, financial institutions, insurance and other
companies.
The Date Processing (Repeal) Bill seeks to repeal the Data
Processing Control Board Decree 1976, which established the
Central System Development Unit as part of the Civil Service
and places its control and operation under the Ministry of
Finance and Economic Planning.
The Finance Committee in its report noted that the repeal
was necessary in view of the recent development in
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the
Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
The House also passed the Polytechnic Bill, which has the
object to revise the law relating to polytechnics and to
make changes consequential to the Polytechnic Law, 1992 (PNDC
Law 321) as a result of Constitutional requirement.
The Bill seeks to empower Polytechnic Councils to support
the government education reform efforts and also solve the
problems, which constrain polytechnic education and its
contribution to the development of the country.
It also allows for the establishment of external
relationships between the polytechnics and civil society,
industry, employers, other institutions of higher learning
and the government.
The Bill proposes the establishment of and objects of
polytechnics, Academic Board, Organisation of a polytechnic,
administration of a polytechnic as well as financial and
miscellaneous provisions.
The significant change from the existing Polytechnics Law is
the provision for affiliation to universities to enable
polytechnics to award degrees alongside the Higher National
Diploma (HND) to meet the current needs of employers and
also bridge the gap between graduates from the polytechnics
and those from the universities.
The House also adopted the Report of Committee of Defence
and Interior on the National Commission on the Small Arms
Bill.
The Bill seeks to establish a National Commission on Small
Arms and Light Weapons to deal with matters relating to
small arms and light weapons.
It also seeks to provide the framework and undertake
programmes to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit
trade in small arms and light weapons, and to educate and
sensitise the public on the dangers of the use of small arms
and light weapons.
The legislature also adopted the Report of the Committee on
Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs on the Laws
of Ghana (Revised Edition) (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to
provide for the commencement of the revised edition of the
Laws of Ghana.
The National Assembly also ratified the Revised African
Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources.
The revised convention is to enhance environmental
protection, foster conservation and sustainable use of
natural resources and also to harmonise and coordinate
policies to achieve ecologically rational and sound and
socially acceptable economic development policies and
programmes.
GNA
|
