BY LUCAS MUKIIBI
KAMPALA –The Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development has just unleashed a storm of expectations upon all accounting officers! In a tweet on Thursday, July 13, Ramathan Ggoobi, the permanent secretary, and secretary to the treasury revealed his high hopes for this financial year. Brace yourselves for some fiscal fireworks, folks!
These grand expectations have been artfully encapsulated in the Budget Execution Circular for FY 2023/24, a document that has been dispatched to every Accounting Officer and Chief Executive Officer of State-Owned Enterprises and Public Corporations. This circular is the roadmap to navigate the treacherous terrain of the upcoming financial year. It divulges the tantalizing details of the annual cash flow plan for FY 2023/24, as well as the awe-inspiring policy, operational, and administrative guidelines that will dictate how the budget is executed.
Key highlights from the circular include:
- Payroll Clean-up: All staff members who were not verified during the Audit conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Uganda must be removed from the payroll no later than July 30, 2023.
- Local Service Tax: All Accounting Officers are required to ensure that the local service tax is remitted to the respective locations where employees reside.
- Currency for Contracts: All contracts for works, goods, and services should be awarded and executed using Uganda shillings.
- Staff Recruitment: Except for replacement purposes, there should be no recruitment of staff (whether in the public service or contract staff) during this financial year.
- Government Advertising: All government advertising must be conducted through the official channels of @ubctvuganda and @newvisionwire, following the directive of His Excellency the President.
The Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi, emphasized that any Accounting Officer who deviates from these guidelines will face sanctions, including dismissal. He also urged all accounting officers to exercise prudence while implementing their respective budgets, considering the scarcity of resources. The goal is to ensure the creation of wealth and jobs, ultimately leading to improved households and overall economic recovery, as stated by @rggoobi.
” Any Accounting Officer who deviates from this will be sanctioned including dismissal,” the PSST said.
” In view of the scarce resources, I urge you to exercise prudence while implementing your respective budgets in order to ensure wealth and job creation for improved households and overall economic recovery,” he said.