Appropriation Bill passed

Parliament on Friday passed the Appropriation Bill, which gave the Minister of Finance and Economic planning, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo authority to direct the Controller and Accountant-General to withdraw 21.347 trillion cedis from the Consolidated Fund for the financial year ending December 31, 2003 for government business.

The purposes for which the sum shall be appropriated are statutory payment of 9.302 trillion cedis, discretionary expenditure 10.442 trillion cedis and other discretionary payment of 1.602 trillion cedis.

The statutory payment comprised transfers to households such as pensions, gratuities, and the new National Health Fund (NHF), interest on domestic and external debts, principal repayment (external debt), District Assemblies Common Fund, Road Fund, Education Trust Fund and Petroleum Related Fund.

Discretionary expenditure were personal emoluments, administration expenses, service cost and investment cost.

Other discretionary payment included VAT Refunds, arrears clearance on roads, utility price subsidies, HIPC financed expenditure and divestiture liabilities.

In another development, the Minister of Finance had promised to waive all taxes on computers imported into the country.

He gave the promise as a compromise to the Minority's call for the stay of a bill seeking to abolish VAT on computers imported for educational institutions.

The Minority argued that he came with a composite bill to waive all taxes to aid government's computer literacy drive.