The Government presented yesterday, August 7, 2018, the Draft Law of the General State Budget for 2018 to the President of the National Parliament, Arão Noé Amaral. The Budget submitted to Parliament covers all income and expenditure of the State and Social Security of Timor-Leste and covers the period from 1 January to 31 December 2018.

The Draft Law of the General State Budget for 2018 was approved by the Council of Ministers on August 2, 2018 and was delivered to the President of Parliament by the Minister of Legislative Reform and Parliamentary Affairs, Fidelis Leite Magalhães and by the Deputy Minister of Finance Sara Lobo Brites.

Sara Lobo Brites said that “the Budget Proposal now delivered sets as a priority the continuation of the program defined in the Strategic National Development Plan (NSDP) initiated in 2017 and that the budget includes the Government’s political commitments such as the payment of pensions to the elderly and the obligations of the State that cannot be resolved in a duodecimal regime “.

Fidelis Leite Magalhães pointed out that the Budget Proposal submitted to the National Parliament with “the value of 1.2 billion encompasses the entire 2018 year and not only the last four months, and for the period from September to December the proposal includes about 700 million”. The Minister of Legislative Reform and Parliamentary Affairs also stated that the priorities of the Budget now handed over to the National Parliament are “to ensure the functioning of the State machine, the payment of wages and salaries, and the payment of support to beneficiaries of the Bolsa de Mãe and pensions for the elderly.

The proposed State Budget Bill for 2018 will be delivered today, August 8, by the President of the National Parliament to Commission C in order to start the discussion process before the presentation in the Plenary.