Last October 15, officials from the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (MHCP) delivered the draft General Budget of the Republic 2022, on the date indicated, according to the Law. The problem is that, three weeks later, no one has seen the document and, if it is not discussed and approved before the deputies go on vacation in mid-December, the country would fall into financial limbo, warns an economist.
By mandate of law, October 15 is the last date available to present to the First Secretariat of the National Assembly, the budget proposal for the following year. Generally, the MHCP officials deliver the document late or late at night, to fulfill that requirement, and shortly after, the text flows on the networks and sees the light, published in the media. But not this time.
CONFIDENTIAL He consulted with deputies to find out if any have it, and the invariable answer was no. The usual thing is that they deliver it physically when the Minister of Finance arrives to make his presentation, and the thesis that is still being handled is that they will distribute it when its owner, Iván Acosta, arrives, who, strangely, has not yet presented it to the plenary .
By definition, the Annual Budget Law, (which until this Thursday, was not available on the websites of the Assembly, or the Ministry of Finance), is the country’s most important financial law. So much so that it even has its own regulatory framework, such as the Financial Administration and Budgetary Regime Law, Law 550.
Article 35 of that law says, in reference to the presentation of the Budget project, that “the President of the Republic, in compliance with articles 113 and 138 paragraph 6, of the Political Constitution, will present to the National Assembly the draft of Annual Budget Law, which will include two copies in electronic format. The presentation must be made, no later than October 15 of the year prior to the budget year for which the Law will govern ”.
Once again: as has always been done … until today.
An economist who agreed to speak with CONFIDENTIALOn condition of keeping his identity confidential, he considers that the Government is facing difficulties in getting the figures to balance. This economist recalls that, in the previous months, the Government presented reports in which they celebrated having reached a global over-compliance of up to 30.1% compared to the first half of 2020, but if those data were not true, or could not be maintained over time, now they have to ensure that the 2022 Budget is in line with those forecasts.
“If these figures are true, the budget cannot be very low, and if they inflated them, they are at a crossroads, because they would have to adjust to what they said, not because they care about public opinion, but to maintain that image of triumphalism. before international financial organizations ”, he commented.
According to the source, the Government does not want the cuts they made to the 2022 Budget, make noise at electionsWhat I can tell you is that this concealment has been exceptional in recent decades ”.
