The opposition parties will pursue efforts to ensure that government’s portion of the Guyana Lottery Company’s revenues is paid into the Consolidated Fund notwithstanding the advice from former Attorney General Charles Ramson that there is no legal basis for the revenue to be paid into the Fund.
In a recent column in the Stabroek News, former Auditor-General, Anand Goolsarran had noted that the retention and use of the proceeds of the Lotto Funds without Parliament’s approval remains a source of public concern. “Some are of the view that the proceeds should have been paid over to the Consolidated Fund and that Parliament should decide on how the money should be spent, and not the Executive. The Government, on the other hand, argued that there is no requirement to pay over the proceeds and that the expenditure incurred is subject to an audit by the Auditor General,” he wrote.
“Putting aside all the legal ramifications, on a matter of principle, all public moneys should be deposited into the Consolidated Fund as the taxpayers’ fund, and no public expenditure should be