Within the framework of the Oil, Gas and Energy Summit, the comptroller general, Carlos Hernán Rodríguez, referred to the concerns that the entity has regarding the General Budget of the Nation (PGN) for 2025 and the challenges that this represents for the country’s fiscal stability.
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Rodríguez called for programming for next year’s PNG, consulting the real execution capacity that each entity has. This is considering the low levels of execution that the budget has been recording for the current period.
“The Comptroller’s Office observes with concern the low levels of execution of the current budget in terms of commitments. It is more worrying if the indicators are reviewed in terms of obligations, which corresponds to true execution, as indicated by Law 819 of 2003”said the official.
Along these same lines, the comptroller pointed out that if the National Budget is defined via decree, it is suggested that appropriations that do not have financing be suspended until a decision is made by the Congress of the Republic.
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The above, taking into account that The amount proposed by the Government ($523 billion) is underfunded by $12 billion, same that are contemplated to be collected through the financing bill.
“It means that the budget is adopted, which is defunded by $12 billion, which will be what Congress has to study, but while Congress studies, the budget items of that magnitude are frozen. If the Congress of the Republic does not approve it “Well, a new decree will then have to be issued to cut the budget of those $12 billion so that they are carried out by being executed or made in accordance with the reality we have at the moment,” the official explained.
Regarding the 2024 PGN and its low execution, he indicated that the control entity suggests that if an entity is not going to be able to execute its assigned resources in the remainder of the year, process authorization for future appropriation substitution periods, “thereby avoiding reducing and inducing budgetary reserves to be placed.”
According to the comptroller, this would be “reducing spending pressure in 2024, reducing the deficit and allowing the Fiscal Rule to be complied with.”
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