Source: MPs threaten to sink 2018 budget – DailyNews Live
Blessings Mashaya 19 October 2017
HARARE – Legislators across the political divide have threatened the sink
the 2018 National budget if they don’t get a five-fold increase in their
allowances.
They said they will hold assent to the two Money Bills that be tabled by
Finance minister Ignatius Chombo until their sitting allowance allocation
has been increased from the present $16m to $100m.
After a budget has been presented to the National Assembly, two money
Bills have to be passed by Parliament: an Appropriation Bill, which gives
legal force to the estimates of expenditure and a Finance Billl – which
makes legal provision for changes in collection of revenue such as taxes,
custom duties under this year’s national budget.
“We want to have a budget of nothing less than $100 million for
Parliament,” Chegutu West Zanu PF MP Dexter Nduna said in the National
Assembly on Tuesday.
“If we do not get that money, it is my thinking and a lot of other
members’ thinking that let us not pass the budget, and chances are we
might get dissolved. If we get dissolved it is just before Parliamentary
elections anyway.”
Parliament can be dissolved if the National Assembly “unreasonably”
refuses to pass an Appropriation Bill (a budget bill).
This comes as President Robert Mugabe is reportedly mulling a move to
exploit a lacuna in the law to proclaim an early general election next
year.
MDC MP for Nkayi South Abednico Bhebhe said Parliament must demand the
allowances ramp up from Chombo.
“If the budget of Zimbabwe for instance is $5 billion, if we are saying
Parliament should get 15 percent of $5 billion, let that budget come in
and be passed in Parliament in conformity that we are getting our
percentage that we are going to run ourselves as Parliament.
“We are not children that you want to lie to us that because you want us
to pass a budget you want to say okay, come end of October, you are going
to get your allowance.”
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