BUJUMBURA June 12th (ABP) – Members of the Lower House of Parliament met on Friday June 10, 2023 at the Kigobe Hemicycle to follow the analysis and comments of the Court of Auditors on the draft law fixing the general State budget 2023-2024; a budget that migrates from the average budget to the budget-program model. To that end, Générose Kiyago, president of that court, was the guest of the National Assembly to present those comments which will serve as a reference during the analysis and adoption of the annual budget for the next budget year 2023-2024.
Indeed, according to Kiyago, State expenditure during the 2023-2024 fiscal year will be three thousand nine hundred and fifty billion, nine hundred and ninety-seven million Burundi francs against two thousand three hundred and ninety-two billion three hundred and two million for the 2022-2023 financial year, i.e., an increase of one thousand five hundred and sixty billion six hundred and ninety-four million Burundi francs. The President of the Court of Auditors explained that this increase is mainly due to the budget allocated in particular to railway, strategic stock, construction of administrative buildings, digitalization, rehabilitation of the road to Melchior Ndadaye airport, purchase of trucks and transport equipment as well as the establishment of school canteens. There is also the construction of the Kajeke irrigation dam, construction of a rabbit multiplication center, electrification of centers in the country, rehabilitation and electrification of the earth road network.
In addition, the revenues which are forecast for the 2023-2024 budget year have also recorded a certain increase estimated at one thousand twenty-nine billion one hundred and eighty-seven million francs, having increased from two thousand one hundred and ninety-four billion eight hundred and twenty-four million during the 2022-2023 financial year to three thousand two hundred and twenty-four billion seventy-one million for the 2023-2024 financial year.
Thus, the President of the Court of Auditors pointed out that the budget planned for the 2023-2024 financial year shows a deficit of more than seven hundred billion. During oral questions, the MPs expressed their concerns about that deficit which continues to increase, wondering how the State will proceed to fill it. In that regard, the President of the Court of Auditors reassured that there are new measures that the government has already planned which will help to fill this deficit, in particular the levy or increase in taxes and duties on certain products and services. Here, she cited as an illustration the specific tax on cigarettes containing tobacco, specific mobile messaging tax, fee per incoming international messages, license plate price, wealth tax, building tax and mobile data tax.