14 Feb 2019

- Parliamentarians from across the political divide have continued to share their views on the proposed budget allocations for the coming financial year.

Debating the budget on Wednesday, Moshupa/Manyana lawmaker, Mr Karabo Gare zoomed in on the issue of poverty eradication, praising government for the effort that was being made to address the problem.

Mr Gare however hastened to indicate that while what government was doing was commendable, certain loopholes that existed within the Poverty Eradication Programme needed to be plugged as they contributed to a situation where the initiative continued to unnecessarily bleed government coffers.

The MP observed that things could be done in a better way, particularly on the issue of screening beneficiaries.

He said screening was necessary as it could help ascertain if a beneficiary had the attributes essential for one to successfully run a business venture. On another note, Mr Gare decried the allocation to the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, saying it was insufficient to enable the ministry to effectively discharge its mandate.

Underlining the ministry’s role as a vehicle to Botswana’s economic growth and diversification, and the key to the country’s job creation potential, the legislator said it was saddening that it had been given a tiny fraction of the national budget.

Major General Pius Mokgware, the MP for Gabane/Mmankgodi, also cast his views on the budget allocations, turning his focus on issues of unemployment, workers’ salaries and the country’s tax regime.

On unemployment, Maj Gen Mokgware dismissed the budget, arguing that it was not job centric.

He said with countless Batswana languishing under the spell of joblessness, it was disheartening that the budget did not state how and through which jobs would be created.

Regarding salaries of public service employees, the MP said the recently announced increments were nothing to celebrate as the percentages with which salaries had been raised had already been eroded by inflation given the number of years that employees had gone without increments.

On taxation, he said time had come for Botswana’s tax regime to be reviewed to prevent further loses of possible revenue that could be accrued through collection of taxes.

MP Buti Billy of Francistown East concurred on the issue of tax collection, saying it was important for the collection of taxes to be improved as the revenue from taxes could help address the issue of having to run the economy on deficit.

Mr Billy called on government to devise new strategies aimed at preventing tax evasion.

The MP, who expressed concern about budget deficits, attributed the problem to, among others, corruption, theft of government funds and poor management of government projects. ENDS