Budget today

Sanjeevi Jayasuriya

The Government will present the budget in Parliament today.

“We are presenting the budget today for 2010. This budget was to be presented last November. But, at that time there was an outgoing President and elections also intervened. Therefore, the budget presentation was delayed,” Deputy Finance Minister Dr Sarath Amunugama told the Daily News. “We have a new Parliament with 75 new Members.

This budget is for the current Parliament.

This is why there was a delay,” he said. This budget will incorporate the Vote on Account and the expenditure made under the President’s directives which covered the period up to June. Major changes will only be in the 2011 budget which will be presented in November this year, he said.

This budget will basically present the policies and principles that will govern the present Government during the current tenure of the President and the Parliament, Dr Amunugama said.