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The
government’s vision for Afghanistan is a prosperous
nation where citizens enjoy security of person
and property. In this environment, ordinary
Afghan women and men can dream of a better life
for their children than they have now. The funding
and programs contained in the national budget
are designed to lay the foundations for this.
The
Budget Concept
The
resources available to Afghanistan are limited.
The allocation of these resources needs to be
coordinated to ensure that they are directed
to their highest priority. To do this,
all available resources need to be reflected
in the budget. Difficult choices have
to be made between competing demands, and trade-offs
between different options need to be considered.
Through a coordinated budget process the government
can choose the most important projects and activities
from among all the competing priorities.
In this way the budget is the central tool of
policymaking.
The
Budget Process
- Ensures
all competing priorities are considered
together and resources are allocated to
the most important areas
- Ensures
that the overall investment program meets
the national priorities
- Forces
government ministers who usually focus on
their area of responsibility to take a more
comprehensive approach, and to evaluate
their programs against the programs of other
ministers
- Coordinates
the development activities of foreign governments
Within
the structure of the government, individual
ministers are given the responsibility by the
government to deliver their programs.
They are also accountable to the Afghan people,
their colleagues in the government, and
to the international community for their performance
and the delivery of the investment program.
The
1382 Budget (2003)
The
overall budget is comprised of the Development
Budget and the Ordinary Budget. In 1382, the
Government estimates:
- Expenditure
of US$1.7bn for the Development Budget,
rising to US$2.6bn in 1383 and US$3.6bn
in 1384
- Revenue
and Expenditures of 24.75 billion Afghani
for the Ordinary Budget
Ordinary budget expenditures are supported by
the Government’s own domestic revenues and by
foreign governments.
Summary
of the Ordinary Budget Expenditures
Total
planned expenditures for the Ordinary Budget
are 24.75 billion Afghani, equivalent to US$550
million.
Most
Ministries will be kept near their spending
levels of
last year with the main increases for:
- Additional
teachers and school support costs
- Increasing
the capacity of the Ministry of Public Health
- Providing
temporary sustaining funds for non-demobilized
soldiers in the Ministry of Defense
- Improving
the level of the assistance payments to martyrs
and the disabled.
- Targeted
civil service reform, to increase the pay
for employees in ministries and institutions
which undergo reform to improve their productivity
and functioning.
-
Providing some improvements in employee support
costs
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