Lower House Approves 2014 Budget

KABUL: (MEP) – MPs in the Lower House on Wednesday approved the fiscal budget for 2014 after rejecting the first draft and pushing through some amendments.

“With only eight red cards, the 1393 fiscal year budget was approved by majority,” said Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, the Speaker of the Lower House.

Afghan Minister of Finance Omar Zakhilwal reported that up to 70 percent of the demands and recommendations submitted by the legislators after the first draft was presented were considered in the second draft, which passed on Wednesday.

“We reflected 70 percent of your demands in the budget, another 30 percent wasn’t possible,” Zakhilwal said.

440 billion AFG was originally considered for the 2014 fiscal budget, but it was drawback to 428 billion AFG in the end. The ordinary budget has increased to 285 billion AFG from 280 billion AFG while the development budget declined from 268 billion AFG to 247 billion AFG.

Despite the budget’s approval, a number of lawmakers expressed their opposition to the larger allocation of money the emergency and miscellaneous provisions of the budget received.

“This year, 800 million USD was added to the emergency and miscellaneous codes,” said MP Azim Mohseni.

“Despite the Commission struggling to convince the Minster to cut the emergency code, the Minister favored two codes related to the president and his vices…so they are those who have their own motives in the elections,” MP Sadiq Nelizada said.

More than a week ago, the MPs voted by majority to reject the budget draft assembled by the Ministry of Finance, requiring the Ministry to reassess its draft and make a number of changes.

According to MPs, the budget was originally rejected because of the allocation of large amounts of funds under the umbrella of “capacity building”; its focus on security despite the bulk of international aid also being allocated for security; millions of Afghanis going to the Emergency code that the government alone is the sole authority over; the imbalance of development budgets amongst the provinces; the absence of sufficient funds for infrastructure and agriculture; and the projection of a growth in deficit.