After a meeting held on the morning of this Tuesday, September 20, between the Minister of Finance, José Antonio Ocampo, and the coordinators and speakers, to define the last project settings of the General Budget of the Nation (PGN) of 2023, the paper was filed before Congress for the first debate.
(See: Agro, with the largest budget increase, what will be invested in?).
This incorporates the amount approved last week, for $405.62 billion, after a budget addition of $14.14 billion, from which the sectors of farming (with an additional $2 billion for an amount of $4 billion); the Presidency, with $1.8 trillion that allowed raising the sector’s budget to $3.39 trillion; and the one of mines and energy, with an addition of $1.5 billion to reach $7.6 billion.
Minister Ocampo highlighted that some of the adjustments that were agreed upon for the presentation include an increase in the budget for tertiary roads and also for the urban social interest housing, as well as special destinations for sports, and the agricultural sector.
(See: resources for the field).
“We hope that the paper will be approved in the first debate“said the head of the Treasury portfolio.
Some novelties that were incorporated into the PGN project for the first debate include, for example, in article 82, that in the budgets of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit and the National Planning Department “An appropriation will be included in order to meet the expenses for the prevention and attention of disasters, attention, assistance and integral reparation to the victims of the internal armed conflict.”.
(See: Budget of 2023: with more resources in investment and without change in debt).
Another novelty is article 86, which contemplates that in electricity and gas subsidies “Measures will be implemented that allow the cross between stratification and socioeconomic information of users as a targeting parameter of the subsidy”.
José Antonio Ocampo, Minister of Finance.
BLOOMBERG
In addition, an energy subsidy for irrigation is contemplated (article 90), with which the Nation “will allocate an amount of resources destined to cover the value corresponding to a percentage of fifty (50%) of the cost of electricity and natural gas consumed by the irrigation districts managed by the state or by the user associations duly recognized by the Ministry. of Agriculture”.
(See: Economic commissions of the Senate and House approve the amount of the Budget).
LAURA LUCIA BECERRA ELEJALDE
Journalist Portfolio
