The 14th day Pyidaungsu Hluttaw continued at Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Hall in Hluttaw Complex here today, attended by Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Speaker U Khin Aung Myint and 537 MPs.
First, the replacement of U Thant Zin from Gyobingauk Constituency with Defence Services Personnel Pyithu Hluttaw Representative Col Myint Ko Ko for as the member of Public Accounts Joint Committee was announced. The replacement was decided at the third day third regular session of the first Pyithu Hluttaw on 15 February, 2012.
U Thein Win of Sagaing Region Constituency No (9) urged the Union government, in submitting annual fiscal year budgetary allocation bill, to assign Auditor- General's Office to submit six-month-period financial report of current fiscal year and regular report on previous fiscal year to Pyidaungsu Hluttaw on December annually, to submit audit report on additional budgetary allocation bill for the current fiscal year in January annually, to submit dudgetary allocation bill for the coming fiscal year in February annually with firm evidences so that budgetary implementation of the institutions to which Union budget is allocated and works and spending of departments and organizations can be scrutinized and approved. An MP seconded the proposal and the Hluttaw agreed to discuss the proposal.
Next, Union Minister for Finance and Revenue U Hla Tun talked about discussion on policy and basic principles of additional budget allocation bill of the Union for 2012 made on 13 day session of Pyidaungsu Hluttaw. He said: according to the constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, 2011-2012 fiscal year budget was drawn up as Union budget and region/state budgets. As the region and state governments have just come into force, the first six month of the budget from April to September was spent from Union fund and the second six month from October to March will be allocated from Union fund and region/state funds.
Most of the normal expenditure asked to allocate as additional expense for this fiscal year is income tax between government institutions, funds to the State and interest charges, all of which need to be paid before the end of this fiscal year. Capital expenditures are required to pay charges of the projects completed in the time of former government, and works to be finished within this year. The ministries that ask for additional allocation will have to spend the allocation before the end of the fiscal year in line with financial rules and regulations and repay the additional allocation. The Union Auditor-General will also audit the spending.
Clarification on 50-billion-kyat capital expenditure in the reset budget of the Myanma Industrial Development Ministry is as follows: When the original 2011-2012 fiscal year budget was planned, K 50 billion was allocated to the capital expenditure budget of the President Office for the pre-engineering works of the construction of industrial buildings in Myingyan (Nabu-aing). After the Myanma Industrial Development Ministry was formed, the President Office assigned the ministry to take over the industrial buildings project and the proposed allocation of K 50 billion to the President Office was transferred into the capital expenditure budget of the ministry in compliance with budgetary rules and regulations. And now the construction works have already come into operation. So, proposed amount K 50 billion was cut from the budget of the President Office and added to the reset budget of the Ministry of Myanma Industrial Development.
Clarifications on designation of social security board under the Ministry of Labour as State-owned enterprise is as follows: the social security board expenditure has been set in the State-owned enterprises budget since before 1988. Now, social security bill has been drafted and submitted to the parliament via the Union government. When the new social security law has been enacted, social security fund will be raised with regular fees of employers and employees and allocation from the Union budget and annual budget of the social security will be drawn up with the approval of the Union government.
In the reset budget for 2011-2012 fiscal year, health expense accounts for 1.1 per cent of the total expenditure and the educational expense 3.5 per cent. However, in the 2012-2013 fiscal year budget, health expenditure has been increased to three per cent and educational expenditure to 5.04 per cent. And these tow expenditures will be increased in the years to come.
Regarding the tax, K 1281.860 billion was collected for 2010-2011 fiscal year according to the actual statistics. The estimated taxation for the 2011-2012 year is K 1099.336 billion, the taxation is expected to be K 182.524 billion lesser than the last year. The reasons behind this estimated amount are reducing of export tax from 8 per cent to 5 per cent, total tax exemption on some export items, reducing of income tax on CMP and salary-income from 10 per cent to 2 per cent, no actions against illegal motorbikes, and lower trade tax and income tax from border trade camps due to regional instability. In addition, since 2011-2012 fiscal year, taxes to be collected from regions/states included in table-5 of the constitution, have been put into in the budget of regions and states. To be able to exceed the last year's actual taxation amount at the end of this fiscal year, measures are being taken to make sure there is no tax evasion and tax manipulation.
Now, continued changes in the government's facial policy and monetary policy are being made because the budgets were to be implemented only with the deficits. The budget deficits would declines step by step by means of not making investments and no use of expenditures, which cannot benefit the production, and collection of taxes to the full.
The Hluttaw announced the end of discussion on the principles and fundamental concepts of Additional Union Budget Allocation Bill 2012. After that, Hluttaw representatives U Maung Toe of Minhla Constituency, Dr Aye Maung of Rakhine State Constituency No.1 and U Moe Zaw Hein of Katha Constituency hold discussions on receipts and payments of Additional Union Budget Allocation Bill 2012. After that, Dr Aye Maung of Rakhine State Constituency No.1 and U Maung Toe of Minhla Constituency submitted the amended proposal on Additional Union Budget Allocation Bill 2012.
Union Minister for Finance and Revenue U Hla Tun explained the Additional Union Budget Allocation Bill 2012. U Maung Toe’s proposal was suspended because of its being a legal dispute. The Hluttaw decided to review it by Joint Bill Committee. Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation U Ohn Than explained supplementary funds of the Additional Union Budget Allocation Bill 2012.
Union Hluttaw took vote to approve the each paragraphs of Additional Union Budget Allocation Bill 2012.The Hluttaw approved the proposal on Bill's name and introduction which should be the part of the Bill with majority "yes" votes. The Hluttaw also approved the proposal on Bill's Section (1), Para (1), Section (2), Para (2) and (3) which should be the part of the Bill with majority of "yes" votes.
The Hluttaw took votes on proposal of Dr Aye Maung of Rakhine State Constituency No.1 on the amended proposal of the President's Office on Additional Union Budget Allocation Bill 2012, and announced that the amended proposal is void because of majority "No" votes.
After that, the Hluttaw took the votes by pressing buttons on proposal on 'the table (1) that includes capital expenditure of K 817.170 million and revenue expenditure of K 177503.263 million additional allotted to the President, Union Government, Union Supreme Court, Union Attorney- General, Union Auditor-General, Union Election Commission and Union Civil Services Board, should be the part of the Bill.
The Hluttaw announced that it is approved by majority "yes" vote.
The Hluttaw approved the proposal on the table-2 that includes additional revenue expenditures of K 418522.850 million, interest payment of K 96566.517 million, cash assistance of K 160417.842 million capital expenditure of K 470560.983 million and loan repayment of K 4.983 million allotted to 26 Union-Level Ministries—Foreign Affairs, Defence, Border Affairs, Home Affair, Immigration and Population, Religious Affairs, Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, Information, Culture, Education, Health, Sports, Labour, Agriculture and Irrigation, Mines, Energy, Electric Power No.2, Construction, Transport, Rail Transportation, Communications, Posts and Telegraphs, Commerce, Hotels and Tourism, Cooperatives, National Planning and Economic Development, and Finance and Revenue, and 14 States/Regions, are the part of the bill, with majority "yes" vote.
The Hluttaw approved that the proposal "Table 3 describing that revenue expenditure K 60 million, that amount was allowed to be spent by Nay Pyi Taw Development Committee should be part of the bill" because of "yes" ballots more than "no".
A representative agreed with the proposal "to prove the budget bill of the Union of 2012" presented by Union Minister for Finance and Revenue U Hla Tun, in stead of the Union Government.
The Hluttaw announced that it was approved because of much "yes" ballots more than "no".
The today's session ended at 1:00 pm, and the 15th day meeting of the Hluttaw continues at 10:00 am on 24 February.
At the today's session, there were matters related to replacing committee member at Joint Public Accounts Committee, two proposals submitted, one proposal discussed, one proposal approved, one bill discussed to be approved, two amended proposal tabled, one proposal to be conferred by the joint bill committee, and one proposal voided.