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Orsamentu Jerál Estadu 2016
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25 May 2015. Updated 11 January 2019
Link to page on 2015 state budget. Liga ba pájina kona-ba OJE 2015 Link to page on 2017 budget. Liga ba pájina kona-ba OJE 2017.
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Contents of this page |
Konteúdu pájina ida ne’e |
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La'o Hamutuk asked if we could attend, and the Prime Minister agreed, but nobody other than government officials were allowed to observe. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Finance posted the presentation (Tetum) to its website two weeks later. At the workshop, the Ministry distributed a paper reviewing the General Directorate for Statistics report on National Accounts 2000-2013 which had not yet been made public. The Ministry recognized that "non-oil GPD growth has been low" (2.8% in 2013) but said that "it had been of a high quality." They proposed using indicators other than GDP to evaluate economic performance (something La'o Hamutuk has long recommended), and recognized that virtually all growth in non-oil GDP results from state spending. "[A]gricultural output has remained in the $189 - $196m range since 2009." Unfortunately, the Ministry's analysis fails to mention the 13.9% drop in real total GDP in 2013, which is largely due to falling oil revenues. We worry that the optimistic spin in their review could lead policy-makers to underestimate the imminent threat facing Timor-Leste's economy as oil income continues to decline. The Jornadas recommended that total 2016 expenditures be limited to $1.3 billion (last year, the same recommended total was increased to $1.57 billion by the time the budget was passed). They also suggested a reduction to $1.2 billion for 2017. Although no cuts are suggested for some large programs like ZEESM and veterans' pensions, the budget looks to save money in fuel costs, travel, operational costs, transfers to civil society, and other areas. However, the goal of reducing recurrent expenditures to $800 million (ESI plus non-oil revenues) remains challenging, and the proposed fiscal envelope will have recurrent spending of $873m in 2016 and $815m in 2017. During 2014, budgeted recurrent spending was $993m (of which $918m was executed), and the revised 2015 budget appropriates $1,149m for recurrent expenditures, so large reductions will be required. The suggested 2016 fiscal envelope envisions $427m in capital expenditures, less than the $465m spent in 2014, a level which will be impossible to achieve if large capital projects -- including ZEESM, Tasi Mane, national roads, Tibar Port and Dili Airport -- are built. The workshop was reported on the websites of the Government and the Ministry of Finance, and the spokesperson issued a press release. |
Jornadas orsamentál
La’o Hamutuk husu se ami bele atende, no Primeiru Ministru konkorda, maibé la iha ema ida ne’ebé mak la’ós ofisiál governu nian mak permite atu observa. Maske nune’e Ministériu Finansas publika aprezentasaun iha ninia website semana rua hafoin enkontru ne’e. Sira rekomenda katak sei limita total despeza iha 2016 nian ba billaun $1.3 (tinan kotuk, rekomenda total despeza ne’ebé hanesan maibé bainhira aprova orsamentu total ne’e hasa’e fali ba billaun $1.57). Sira mós sujere atu redús orsamentu 2017 nian ba billaun $1.2. Maske la iha sujestaun atu ko’a osan husi programa boot sira hanesan ZEESM no pensaun veteranu sira, orsamentu sei haree liu ba atu hasai osan husi kustu kombustivel, viajen, kustu operasionál, transferénsia ba sosiedade sivíl no area seluk tan. Maske nune’e, objetivu atu redús despeza rekurrente sira ba tokon $800 (ESI no reseita naun petrolíferu sira) sei nafatin sai dezafiu ida, no proposta pakote fiskál sei iha gastu rekurrente tokon $873 iha 2016 no tokon $815 iha 2017. Durante 2014, despeza rekurrente ne’ebé tau iha orsamentu mak tokon $993 (iha ne’ebé ezekuta tokon $918), no iha retifikasaun orsamentu 2015 halo alokasaun tokon $1,149 ba despeza rekurrente sira, tan ne’e sei presiza ko’a orsamentu ne’ebé boot. Proposta orsamentu ba pakote fiskál 2016 preve tokon $427 iha despeza kapitál, menus uitoan husi tokon $465 ne’ebé gasta iha 2014, nivel ida ne’ebé sei imposivel atu atinje se projetu ho kapitál boot sira – inklui ZEESM, Tasi Mane, estrada nasionál, Portu Tibar no Aeroportu Dili – kontinua atu hala’o. Iha sumariu husi workshop ne’e iha Governu no Ministériu Finansas nia website sira, no portavós estadu nian publika komunikadu imprensa ida. |
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2016
Budget Process On 11 June, the Council of Ministers passed Decree-Law 22/2015, and it came into effect on 9 July. The law creates a Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring and Assessment Unit (UPMA) under the Prime Minister "to connect the annual plans from State Institutions to the General State Budget in a more explicit way, and developing financial reporting and monitoring tools." Through the end of June, the Ministry of Finance worked with each state agency to prepare its budget submission. On 23 June, the Ministry presented several scenarios for budget sustainability to the Council of Ministers, and on 7 July the Ministers set the fiscal envelope for the 2016 Budget. Although their press releases do not say the amount, Vice Minister of Finance Helder Lopes told local media it was $1.3 billion (not including $94 million in loans). This is the same level as was set in June 2013 and 2014 for the 2014 and 2015 budgets, each of which swelled to $1.5 billion or more by the time Government proposed them to Parliament. On 8 July, the Ministry of Finance distributed two documents to government officers: a calendar of the budget process and a Budget Circular which defines fiscal ceilings for each agency, category and major program. The amounts in the circular, which are likely to increase as the process proceeds, are:
The Budget Circular proposes $25 million for PDID (23% less than in 2015) and $10 million for PNDS (the same as in 2015). In September, the Budget Review Committee began discussing submissions from each agency, and it planned to submit a complete budget to the Council of Ministers for approval by 21 September. Budget and Financial Management Law (No. 13/2009) requires that the Government present its proposed budget to Parliament by 15 October. Three days before that, the Council of Ministers discussed the government's "preliminary analysis" of the draft budget law. However, they could not agree and the draft was returned to the Ministry of Finance for revision. The Government informed Parliament that the budget would be two weeks late, but Parliament did not grant an exception (as they had in 2010), so this appears to violate Article 30 of Law 13/2009 which says that "Government shall present to the National Parliament by the 15 October the draft Budget Law for the following financial year." |
Prosesu Orsamentál
2016 Faze preparasaun orsamentál sei too fim de Juñu, no Ministériu Finansas sei ajuda kada órgaun estadu hodi prepara sira nia submisaun. Iha loron 23 Juñu, Ministériu Finansas aprezenta senáriu oin-oin ne’ebé sustentavel ba Konsellu Ministru, no iha loron 7 Jullu Konsellu Ministru define envelope fiskál ba Orsamentu Estadu 2016. Maski komunikadu imprensa sira la fó-sai montante. Vice-Ministru Finansas Helder Lopes fó hatene ba media lokál montante billaun $1.3. (Montante ida ne'e hanesan fixu iha fulan Juñu durante 2013 no 2014, maibé sira aumenta ba billaun $1.50 no $1.57 molok Governu haruka proposta OJE ba Parlamentu Nasional.) Entre fulan Jullu no Setembru, Komisaun Revizaun Orsamentál sei diskute no halo revizaun ba submisaun sira no aprezenta orsamentu final ba Konsellu Ministru hodi aprova iha Outubru, molok haruka ba Parlamentu.
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Government budget proposal to Parliament The Council of Ministers approved the draft budget law on 20 October, and the Ministry of Finance submitted it to Parliament on 29 October, with detailed budget books in three languages (available below or on the Ministry website). Download the Parliamentary schedule for consideration. The proposed budget for 2016 totals $1,562,233,000, virtually the same as the $1,570 million budget enacted for 2015. Expenditures are allocated as follows:
PDID was reduced to $18.7 million, while PNDS remains at $10 million. The $1,562 million will come from:
The following graphs reflect the proposed budget. See below for graphs of the final version as promulgated.
For those who wish to do their own analysis, La'o Hamutuk has converted the five Annexes to the proposed Budget Law into an Excel spreadsheet which you can download. The following graph shows how spending priorities have evolved during the last few years:
Execution of the budget to date has been intermittent, with spending peaking at the end of the year.
On 8 November, La'o Hamutuk published a blog article 2016 budget proposal puts fantasies before people's needs (also Tetum) with an initial analysis of the budget's implications. National Parliament organized an all-day seminar on the proposed budget on 10 November, inviting presentations from the Ministry of Finance (Tetum), La'o Hamutuk (also Tetum, English Powerpoint, Tetum Powerpoint), World Bank, ADB and others. Parliament's specialized standing committees are holding hearings (schedule) to analyze the budget proposal. On 17 November, Leonia Monteiro of ZEESM presented a report and proposal on 2015 and 2016, and on 18 November Timor-Leste's petroleum related institutions, including TimorGAP, presented their materials. To assist their discussions, Parliament received submissions from La'o Hamutuk, UN Women, Fundasaun Mahein and other organizations. La'o Hamutuk's submission is on our blog with graphics and links. It discusses the following topics:
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Governu haruka proposta
orsamentu ba Parlamentu
Nasional Proposta lei Orsamentu Jerál Estadu ba 2016 aprova ona husi Konsellu Ministru iha loron 20 fulan Outubru, no haruka ba Parlamentu Nasional iha loron 29 Outubru, ho livru orsamentál iha lingua tolu (bele hetan iha kraik ka iha website Ministeriu Finansas nian). Proposta OJE ba tinan 2016 iha total montante $1,562,233,000, maizoumenus hanesan tokon $1,570 iha OJE 2015. Despeza sira ne’ebé atu halo mak hanesan tuir mai:
PDID hamenus ba tokon $18.7, no PNDS nafatin hetan tokon $10. Tokon $1,562 ne'e sei mai hosi:
Grafiku sira tuir mai descreve proposta OJE. Hare iha kraik atu hetan grafiku verzaun final hanesan promulga ona.
Ami sei publika analiza kle'an liu no gráfiku sira iha loron balun. Karik ita boot hakarak halo analiza rasik, bele download Spreadsheet Excel ho informasaun husi Anexu lima iha proposta Lei OJE 2016. Grafiku tuir mai hatudu mudansa iha Governia nia prioridade ba gastu durante tinan hirak liu ba:
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Parliamentary
discussion On 23 November, the heads of each Parliamentary party caucus agreed to a Guide to Discussion and Voting (Portuguese) on the budget. It was distributed to Members two days later, along with a draft resolution (Portuguese) to create an "Ad Hoc Committee" to discuss proposed amendments to the budget behind closed doors. Following hearings and analysis, Parliament's Committee on Public Finance finished its 75-page report and opinion (Portuguese, with translated conclusions and recommendations) on 26 November. Other standing committees also wrote reports which were distributed to Members, but we do not have electronic copies. On 1 December, the Parliamentary Plenary began discussing the proposed budget in generality with its introduction by Prime Minister Dr, Rui Maria de Araujo. After policy declarations from the four political parties (Fretilin and PD in Tetum), the Committee report was read and Parliament adjourned for lunch until Wednesday morning. Government summarized the first day on its website and in a press release. On the second and third days, the Prime Minister responded to some concerns from the committee reports and policy declarations. Then Deputies from each party raised issues and asked questions for three hours, followed by responses by the Prime Minister and other key ministers.
On 2 December, President Taur Matan Ruak told journalists on the boat coming back from Oecusse (Tetum video -- budget discussion starts at 6:00, or 1 MB audio) that he will veto the 2016 budget law if it does not prioritize education, health, agriculture and other sustainable sectors over physical infrastructure. This provoked considerable discussion in Parliament about the President's Constitutional powers (although it's clear that this is within his authority), but has not yet influenced the contents of the budget. After 21:00 on the night of 3 December, all 65 Members of Parliament voted in favor of the budget in generality. A majority then approved the formation of the "Ad Hoc Committee," although eight Deputies from Partidu Demokratiku voted against it. Parliament reported the process in a press release (Portuguese) Members submitted 57 proposed amendments to the Ad Hoc Committee (KE), including many which move a few million dollars or less from one line to another. Parliament's press release (Port.) on the first KE meeting on 9 December had little information, but La'o Hamutuk has listed the amendments in a table, including whether each was accepted or rejected. Three amendment proposals would create or drastically transform state institutions, which may not be appropriate to do in a last-minute alteration of one year's state budget:
Most other proposed amendments create new programs costing less than $1 million, add to existing funding, or shift programs from one agency to another. A few of the larger and more interesting are:
According to media reports on 11 December, the Government has accepted 35 of the proposed amendments and rejected 13, but no information is given about which ones. Parliament issued Portuguese-language press releases after the second, third day, fourth and last day of the Komisaun's work. We remain concerned that Parliament is debating and amending the budget in a private committee, rather than the transparent public process which was held until three years ago. The Komisaun Eventual finished its work on 14 December and presented its consensus report of approved amendments to the Parliamentary Plenary on the afternoon of the 15th. Although the total amount of the budget is unchanged, a number of changes were agreed to by the Government and the Members of the Committee, and the Government announced Parliament's acceptance of the consensus substitute. Parliament issued Portuguese-language press releases describing the debate on the 15th, 16th, and 17th of December. Parliament voted final approval of the Budget Law on the evening of 18 December, as announced in a Government press release. A second press release claimed that the "reforms and initiatives" in the new law will make "a significant impact on the quality of spending undertaken in 2016." A Parliamentary press release described the passage of the Budget Law (Port.). |
Debate iha
Parlamentu Nasional Iha 23 Novembru, xefi bankada Parlamentar sira konkorda Guia Diskusaun no Votasaun (Portuges) kona-ba orsamentu. Depois loron rua guia ne’e distribui ba Deputadu sira, hamutuk ho esbosu rezolusaun ida (iha Port.) atu kria “Komisaun Eventual” ida atu diskute proposta alterasaun ba orsamentu ne’ebé taka ba públiku. Hafoin audiensia sira no analiza, Komisaun Finansas Públiku husi Parlamentu Nasional finaliza sira nia relatóriu no paresér ho pájina 75 (Portuges) iha 26 Novembru. Komisaun Parlamentar sira seluk mós hakerek sira nia relatóriu ne’ebé distribui ba Deputadu sira, maibé ami laiha nia kópia eletróniku. Iha loron 1 Dezembru, Plenária Parlamentar hahú diskusaun iha jeneralidade kona ba proposta OJE, ho introdusaun husi Primeiru Ministru Dr. Rui Maria de Araujo. Partidu polítiku ida idak fó ninia deklarasaun polítika (Fretilin, PD), no tuir mai Komisaun lee sira nia relatóriu no Parlamentu deskansa too Kuarta dadeer. Governu sumariza loron debate primeiru iha sira nia portal no komunikadu imprensa ida. Iha loron segundu no terseiru plenária, Primeiru Ministru fó resposta ba preokupasaun balu hosi relatóriu Komisaun no deklarasaun polítika. Tuir mai, Deputadu/a sira foti asuntu barak no husu pergunta durante ba oras tolu, no Primeiru Ministru no ministru xave sira seluk fó resposta.
Iha loron 2 Dezembru, Prezidente Taur Matan Ruak hateten ba jornalista sira iha ró leten bainhira nia fila hosi Oecusse (video -- topiku OJE hahu iha 6:00 ka audio 1MB) katak nia sei veto lei orsamentu 2016 nian bainhira orsamentu ne’e la prioritiza setór edukasaun, saúde, agrikultura no setór sustentavel sira seluk. Deklarasaun ida ne’e provoka diskusaun iha Parlamentu kona-ba Prezidente nia podér Konstitusionál (maski ida ne’e klaru katak atu veto ka promulga ne’e iha nia autoridade), maibé deklarasaun ida ne’e la influénsia atu muda konteúdu orsamentu nian. Hafoin tuku 09.00 kalan iha 3 Dezembru, Deputadu Parlamentar 65 tomak vota a favor ba orsamentu iha jeneralidade. Maioria parlamentar tuir mai aprova formasaun “Komisaun Eventual,” maski Deputadu na’in ualu hosi Partidu Demokrátiku nian vota kontra ba estabelesimentu ida ne’e. Parlamentu relata prosesu ida ne'e iha Komunikadu Imprensa ida.
Proposta alterasaun tolu sei kria ka drastikamente sei transforma instituisaun estadu sira, ne’ebé loloos labele halo alterasaun iha tempu sira ikus nian ba orsamentu estadu tinan ida nian.
Proposta alterasaun lubuk seluk ne’ebé atu kria programa seluk ne’e nia kustu menus hosi tokon $1, aumenta ba fundu ne’ebé iha ona, ka muda programa hosi ajénsia ida ba ajénsia seluk. Alterasaun balu boot no interesante liu mak:
Tuir noticia jornal iha 11 Dezembru, Governu simu proposta alterasaun 35, no rezeita 13, maibe laiha informasaun kona ba ida ne'ebe sira simu ka rezeita. Parlamentu fo sai komuniadu imprensa sira hafoin loron segundu, terseiru, quarta no loron ikus servisu Komisaun Eventual. Ami preokupa katak Parlamentu halo debate no alterasaun ba orsamentu iha komisaun privadu, duke halo tuir prosesu ne’ebé nakloke ba públiku ne’ebé sempre hala’o molok tinan tolu ikus ne’e.
Parlamentu sei vota aprovasaun final Lei Orsamentu iha kalan sesta, loron 18 Dezembru, no Governu fo sai komunikadu imprensa ida. Komunikadu imprensa ida tan hatete katak "reforma no inisiativu sira" iha lei foun sei halo "impaktu signifikante iha kualidade despeza publiku durante tinan 2016." PN fo sai komunikadu imprensa rua tan kona ba aprovasaun final lei OJE, no haruka lei ida ne'e ba Prezidente Republika. |
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President
vetoes the budget, Parliament overrides After technical harmonization, Parliament transmitted (Port.) the enacted Budget Law to the President on 21 December. La'o Hamutuk wrote a letter to the President the following day, expressing some concerns for him to consider before he vetoes or signs the budget law. On 29 December, the President's office issued a press release announcing that he had vetoed the budget and sent it back to Parliament. The President's six-page letter (original Portuguese) explains that he had already told Parliament that he disagrees with increasing investment in infrastructure projects without effective return, such as ZEESM and the Tasi Mane project, while reducing public spending for health, education and agriculture. He also urged Parliament to address basic water and sanitation to improve living conditions, to limit unsustainable spending from the Petroleum Fund, and to give more thought to the transformation of the Infrastructure Fund. The veto was reported by many media, including LUSA (Portuguese) and STL Online (Tetum). On the evening of 29 December, Prime Minister Dr. Rui Maria Araujo discussed issues underlying the President's veto on the government's TV talk show, which you can watch on YouTube (Tetum). The next day, the PM wrote on Facebook in Portuguese: "In the last work day of 2015: insisting on coordination...collaboration...and synergies between organs and institutions of public administration in Timor-Leste...and hoping that 2016 will bring better results!" Parliament held an extraordinary plenary session on 8 January 2016 to respond to the Presidential veto. They heard speeches by the Prime Minister and each political party (CNRT, Fretilin, Partidu Demokratiku and Frente Mudansa). Unfortunately, most of the debate focused on personalities and power, and there was little discussion of the substantive policy issues discussed in the President's veto message (Portuguese original). PD proposed four amendments to the budget law on the infrastructure fund, agriculture, education and health, but they were voted down by the Plenary, with support from PD Deputies and occasionally Frente Mudansa. Parliament then voted for a law identical to the one the President vetoed, 64-0-0. The override was announced by Parliament and the Government. According to Article 88.2 of the RDTL Constitution, the President is required to promulgate the budget within eight days of receiving it, although some commentators suggested that a judicial review of its constitutionality would be appropriate. On 12 January, the Minister of Finance explained to the Council of Ministers that they would have use the "duodecimal system," since the enacted 2016 budget had not been published by New Years Day. Under that system, each state organ can spend an amount equal to 1/12 of its 2015 allotment each month until the 2016 budget comes into force. |
Prezidente Republika
veta OJE Hafoin redaksaun tekniku, PN haruka Lei OJE ba Prezidente Republika iha loron 21 Dezembru. Loron ida tuir mai, La'o Hamutuk haruka karta ida ba Prezidente, ho preokupasaun balu nia bele konsidera molok nia veta ka promulga lei Orsament Estadu 2016. Iha loron 29 Dezembru, Prezidente Republika fo sai komunikadu imprensa ida atu fo hatene katak nia veta proposta OJE 2016, no haruka mensajem ba Parlamentu Nasional ne’ebe fundamenta razaun lubun ida ba veto politiku, tuir art. 88.º Lei Inan. Taur Matan Ruak hakerek katak nia esplika tiha ona ninia diskordansia konaba prioridade sira iha OJE durante debate orsamentu iha Parlamentu Nasional. Nia la konkorda atu aumenta investimentu iha projetu sira infra-estrutura nian ne’ebe laiha retornu efetivu, hanesan ZEESM ka projetu Tasi Mane nian no hatun fali despeza publiku iha setor sira hanesan Saude, Edukasaun no Agrikultura. Prezidente mos alerta ba nesesidade atu promove investimentu iha bee mos no saneamentu baziku atu nune’e hadiak kondisaun baziku moris nian, alerta ba nesesidade atu garante dezenvolvimentu ida ke sustentável ba Nasaun ne’e liu hosi aumenta reseitas domestiku no hamenus gasta osan hosi Fundu Minarai, no preokupa ho “Fundo de Infraestruturas” foun ne’ebe estabelese iha OJE ida ne'e, ne’ebe hases-an hosi regras Lei do Orçamento e da Gestão Financeira konaba fundos especiais. Media barak fahe artigu kona-ba Prezidente nia veto, inklui LUSA no STL Online. Iha kalan 29 December, Primeiru Ministru Dr. Rui Maria Araujo diskuti OJE no Prezidente nia preokupasaun iha program televisaun Ita Nia Governu, bele hare iha YouTube. Loron ida tuir mai, PM hakerek iha Facebook: "No ultimo dia de trabalho de 2015: Insistindo na coordenação...colaboração...e sinergias entre órgãos e instituições da administração pública em Timor-Leste...e esperando que 2016 traga melhores resultados!" Parlamentu halo Plenaria Extraordinaria iha loron 8 Janeiru atu responda ba veta husi Prezidente Republika. Sira rona diskursu sira husi Primeiru Ministru no kada partidu politiku (CNRT, Fretilin, Partidu Demokratiku no Frente Mudansa). Infelizmente, debate foka liu ba personalidade no poder, ho diskusaun uitoan de'it kona ba topiku substantivu iha Prezidente nia mensagem veta. Maski PD proposta alterasaun lima ba lei OJE, Plenaria la simu ida, no Parlamentu aprova lei hanesan Prezidente veta tiha ona, ho votasaun 64-0-0. Prosesu ida ne'e fo sai husi Parlamentu no Governu. Tuir artigu 88.2 Konstituisaun RDTL nian, "Prezidente-Repúblika sei promulga diploma ida-ne’e, iha prazu loron 8 nia laran, hahú husi loron ne’ebé nia simu." Ema balun fo sujestaun katak Prezidente bele husi Tribunal Rekursu nia conselho molok nia halo promulgasaun. |
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President Taur Matan Ruak promulgated the 2016 Budget as Law No. 1/2016 of 14 January, sending another message to Parliament (original). Polemics continue on both sides, although the Law was officially published in the Jornal da Republica on 14 January, effective retroactively to 1 January.
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Iha loron 14 Janeiru, Prezidente Taur Matan Ruak promulga Lei Orsamentu Jeral Estadu ba tinan 2016, maske polemika nafatan husi parte balun. Loron hanesan, Lei OJE publika ona iha Jornal da Republica, no tama en vigor retroactiva iha 1 Janeiru 2016.
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Implementation When he promulgated the State Budget, President Taur Matan Ruak asked the Court of Appeals about the Constitutionality of the autonomous Infrastructure Fund established by Article 11 of the Budget Law. In early March, the Court advised that they would have to see the Decree-Law regulating this Fund before they could give a definitive opinion. However, the Court issued its judgment (Portuguese original) on 8 March. Even though they had not seen the new Decree-Law, they concluded that creating the new "autonomous" Infrastructure Fund in the 2016 Budget Law does not violate the Constitution or the Law on Budget and Financial Management. On 27 January, the Council of Ministers approved a Decree establishing rules for the execution of the 2016 State Budget. Spending from the former Infrastructure Special Fund was limited due to its abolition by the 2016 Budget Law, and on 3 February the Council of Ministers said it had approved a Decree-Law establishing the new autonomous Infrastructure Fund. However, the Government never sent this Decree-Law to the President's office for promulgation. The Council of Ministers approved another Decree-Law with the same title on 15 March, putting the IF under the Ministry of Planning and Strategic Investment. Ten days later, this proposed Decree-Law on the Infrastructure Fund (also Portuguese) was sent to the President. After two months of deliberation, Decree-Law 13/2016 was promulgated on 18 May. The Ministry of Finance published the final version of the 2016 State Budget Books in early March. As of 26 April, the Transparency Portal showed that less than $9 million of the $287 million appropriated for the new Infrastructure Fund in 2016 had been spent. By 20 June, Infrastructure Fund spending had increased to $95 million. |
Implementasaun Bainhira nia promulga tiha Orsamentu Estadu, Prezidente Taur Matan Ruak husu ba Tribunal Rekursu kona-ba Konstitusionalidade Fundu Infrastrutura autónoma ne’ebé estabelese liu hosi Artigu 11 Lei Orsamentu nian. Iha inísiu Marsu, Tribunal fó konsellu katak sira presiza atu hare uluk lai Dekretu-Lei ne’ebé atu regula Fundu ida ne’e molok fó sira nia opiniaun definitivu nian. Maske nune’e, Tribunal Rekursu fó sai sira nia akordaun iha loron 8 Marsu. Maske sira seidauk hetan Dekretu-Lei foun, juis sira konklui katak kriasaun Fundu Infrastrutura "otónoma" iha lei OJE 2016 la viola Konstituisaun ka Lei Orsamentu no Jestaun Finanseiru. Iha loron 27 Janeiru, Konsellu Ministrus aprova ona Dekretu ida atu estabelese regra sira kona-ba ezekusaun no monitorizasaun OJE 2016. Labele halo despeza husi Fundu Espesial Infraestrutura tanba kansela ona iha lei OJE 2016, no iha loron 3 Fevereiru Konsellu Ministrus fo sai katak sira aprova Dekretu-Lei atu estabelese fundu infraestrutura autonomu foun. Maske, Governu nunka haruka Dekretu-Lei ida ne'e ba gabinete Prezidente atu halo promulgasaun. Konsellu Ministru aprova Dekretu-Lei ida tan ho titulu hanesan iha loron 15 fulan Marsu, no tau FI iha MPIE nia okos. Loron sanulu tuir mai, proposta lei ida ne'e haruka ba Prezidente Republika. Hafoin konsiderasaun durante fulan rua, Dekretu-Lei 13/2016 promulga iha loron 18 Maiu. Ministeriu Finansas publika versaun final ba Livru Orsamentu Jeral Estadu 2016 iha inisiu fulan Marsu. To'o loron 26 Abril, Portal Transparensia hatudu katak tokon $9 de'it husi tokon $287 aloka ba Fundu Infraestrutura foun gastu ona. Molok loron 20 fulan Juñu, despeza husi Fundu Infraestrutura aumenta to'o tokon $95. |
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On 17 June 2016, LUSA reported that the Ministry of Finance will propose a budget rectification to increase 2016 appropriations to include the $129 million Timor-Leste contracted to spend on Tibar Port. Vice-Minister Helder Lopes said that this could not be incorporated into the still-to-be-finalized 2017 budget because it would exceed the $1.2 billion fiscal envelope for 2017, the largest of the scenarios presented to the Budget Workshop on 16 May and discussed by the Council of Ministers on 24 May and 7 June. However, La'o Hamutuk believes that the cancellation of the Suai Supply Base contract frees up enough Infrastructure Fund money ($142 million in 2016-2017) to make rectification of the 2016 budget unnecessary.
The additional spending will be financed by increasing this year's withdrawals from the Petroleum Fund to $1.675 billion, up from $1.284 billion in the original 2016 budget enacted six months ago. This withdrawal will be 9.2% of Timor-Leste's total Petroleum Wealth, more than three times the Estimated Sustainable Income recommended in the Petroleum Fund Law. Acting Prime Minister Agio Pereira sent Parliament the legally required justification for the excess withdrawal. Parliamentary advisors summarized the process and proposal in a legal memo (Portuguese).
La'o Hamutuk encourages Parliament to consider these inconvenient facts before they rush to deplete the Fund even faster, and we wrote them a submission with more details. The discussion in Book 1 of the proposed rectification contains outdated, erroneous and inconsistent information, especially regarding current oil income and plans for withdrawals from the Petroleum Fund.
At its plenary session on 4 July,
Parliament discussed the process of approving the budget rectification law
and referred it to
Prime Minister Dr. Rui Maria de Araùjo presented (Port.) the proposed revision to Parliament on the afternoon of 12 July. Reports from Parliamentary Committee E on Infrastructure (original Port.) and Committee C on Public Finances (original Port.) were presented to the Parliamentary Plenary as it began discussing the proposed budget rectification in generality. As neither committee had invited inputs from civil society, La'o Hamutuk distributed an unsolicited submission to the Members of Parliament. The MPs debated for hours, finally approving the proposed law in generality at 9:44 pm that night. Of the 65 MPs, 59 voted in favor, none against, and none formally abstained. The following day, Parliament approved every article of the proposed law, and then unanimously approved it globally, as reported by the Government and by Lusa (Port.). They then began a two-month recess. The President received the budget on 19 July for promulgation or veto. On 28 July, La'o Hamutuk wrote to the President urging him to exercise his veto power and send the budget back to Parliament. However, the President promulgated the budget on 8 August, sending a message to Parliament to express some concerns. The rectified budget law was published in the Jornal da Republica as Law No. 11/2016 of 10 August 2016. On 4 October 2018, Parliament unanimously accepted the General State Accounts for 2016, after considering the recommendations from the Audit Chamber and receiving a report from Parliamentary Committee C. |
Retifikasaun Iha loron 17 Juñu 2016, LUSA fó sai katak Ministériu Finansas sei proposta Orsamentu Retifikativu atu aumenta alokasaun ba tinan ida ne'e atu kobra tokon $129 kontratu obriga Timor-Leste atu gasta ba Portu Tibar. Sira rejeita atu inklui iha proposta Orsamentu Estadu 2017 tanba montante ida ne'e bele viola envelope fiskál biliaun $1.2 ne’ebé bo’ot liu husi senáriu balun aprezenta ba Jornadas Orsamentais iha 16 Maiu Konsellu Ministru diskute ona iha sira nia enkontru loron 24 Maiu no 7 Juñu. Maski nune'e, La'o Hamutuk fiar katak kansela kontratu ba Suai Supply Base liberta osan sufisiente iha Fundu Infraestrutura (tokon $142 iha 2016-2017), entaun OJE2016 lalika retifikasaun. Iha loron 22 Juñu, Konsellu Ministru aprova ona proposta lei atu halo alterasaun ba Lei Orsamentu Jerál Estadu 2016. Sira proposta atu aumenta despeza estadu durante 2016 ba tokon $390.7, orsamentu hirak ne’e hotu aloka ba Fundu Infrastrutura. Aumenta ba OJE sei inklui tokon $127 ba Suai Supply Base, tokon $121 ba Portu Tibar, tokon $104 ba estrada sira, tokon $35 ba eletrisidade, no tan ba projetu balu seluk, inklui drainajen iha kapitál Dili. Konsellu mos aprova Exposicao de Motivos (Port.).
Asesór ba parlamentu sira sumariza prosesu no proposta iha memo legál ida (Portugés).
La’o Hamutuk enkoraja Parlamentu atu konsidera faktu difisil sira ne’e molok sira atu gasta Fundu lalais liu, no ami fó submisaun ida ba sira ho informasaun detalladu liu. Informasaun iha Livru 1 husi proposta retifikasaun ida ne'e dala barak sala, antigu ka la dun konsistente, liu liu kona-ba reseita petrolíferu atuál no planu atu transfere osan husi Fundu Petrolíferu.
Iha sesaun plenaria loron 4 Jullu, Parlamentu diskute prosesu aprovasaun lei orsamentu rektifikasaun no refere ona ba komisaun Parlamentaria ba Infrastrutura no Finansa Públiku. Maibé, Parlamentu koko atu aprova lalais ho debate menus husi semana ida nia laran molok sira nia deskansa iha 15 Jullu.
Iha loron 13 Jullu, Parlamentu aprova ba artigu hotu iha proposta retifikasaun, no ikus liu vota favor ba lei tomak ho unanimidade, hanesan fahe husi Governu no SAPO/Lusa. Hafoin ida ne'e, Deputadu/a sira hahú feriadu ba fulan rua.
Iha loron 4 Outubru 2018, Parlamentu Nasional aseita Conta Geral do Estado ba tinan 2016, hafoin konsidera Relatoriu husi Camara de Contas no Paraser husi PN nia Komisaun C. |
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Analysis
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| Links to relevant topics on La'o Hamutuk's website | Liga ba tópiku sira ne’ebé relevante iha website La’o Hamutuk |
| The Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis (La’o Hamutuk) Institutu Timor-Leste ba Analiza no Monitor ba Dezenvolvimentu Rua D. Alberto Ricardo, Bebora, Dili, Timor-Leste P.O. Box 340, Dili, Timor-Leste Tel: +670-3321040 or +670-77234330 email:laohamutuk@gmail.com Web:https://www.laohamutuk.org Blog:laohamutuk.blogspot.com Facebook |
