As government gears up for the presentation of Budget 2023, Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh is holding talks with various sectors of society to get a sense of their concerns.
A Ministry of Finance release stated that Singh yesterday held further consultations with various representatives of the private sector as government prepares to present Budget 2023 in Parliament on Monday, January 16.
Representatives attending yesterday’s meeting included Ramesh Dookhoo of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA); President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Timothy Tucker; Chairman of the Finance Sub-Committee of the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED), Jagdesh Haripersaud; Director/Board Member of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry Guyana, Rowena Elliott; and Executive Director of the Private Sector Commission, Ian Chung.
The release added that this meeting was a follow-up to the one held with President Irfaan Ali, Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo, Singh and other officials at State House last week. During that engagement a number of suggestions were made for inclusion in the Budget.
According to the release, over the last several months, the Finance Minister has been meeting and consulting with various stakeholders including the private sector, government ministries, other agencies, and civil society, listening to their concerns and receiving suggestions.
Budget 2023, which will be the fourth Budget presented to Parliament by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) since its return to office in August 2020, will see key development programmes for government being fast-tracked, the release said. And in addition, many more will be expanded “to reflect government’s continued transformational agenda for the country which has been taking it forward at a rapid pace over the last two years and 5 months since the PPP/C’s return to office in August 2020. The PPP/C’s national budgets have all reflected its manifesto promises as well as additional initiatives that have been taking Guyana forward and transforming the country’s landscape at an extremely rapid pace as well as attracting attention on the world stage as its economy booms”, the release said.
