The speaker of Parliament says that equalizing the salaries of government employees is the “red line”.
Mir Rehman Rahmani, Speaker Parliament, said in a plenary session today (Wednesday, the 24th of Jedi): “This House also rejected the previous draft budget due to non-observance of the principle of balance, fairness, and standardization of government employees’ salaries.” He stressed: “There is no personal or political confrontation or hostage-taking in this national document or the relocation of MPs’ projects in rejecting it, and equalizing the salaries of government employees is the” red line “of this parliament.”
Mr. Rahmani added that the parliament would not approve the budget plan for the year 1400 until the government complies with the request of teachers, families of martyrs, soldiers, retirees, and mercenaries to equalize their salaries. He called on the Finance and Budget Committee of the House of Representatives to consider the principle of equalization of salaries in consideration of the national budget’s second draft. He added that the departments’ budget, which the parliament has not yet approved, should not be included in the budget.
Mr. Rahmani also stressed that any decision on the national budget plan is within the House of Representatives‘ competence.
The second draft budget for the 1400 solar fiscal year was approved by the cabinet on Monday and sent to the House of Representatives for approval yesterday. The speaker said that the House of Representatives committees’ chairmen would decide whether to vote on it in the House of Representatives.
More than 20 billion afghanis have been added to the draft, and the number of projects has been increased, and the number of others has been reduced.
The second draft budget for the 1400 solar fiscal year is estimated at more than 473 billion afghanis, of which more than 311 billion afghanis in the regular budget and 161,842 billion afghanis in the development budget.
The 1400 solar fiscal year’s budget plan, which was initially projected at more than 452 billion afghanis, was seriously rejected by the House of Representatives on the 10th.
Following this, President Ghani had said in a cabinet meeting on the 17th of January in response to the rejection of the budget plan for the year 1400 that according to the constitution, preparing and presenting the budget is the job of the executive branch and the only parliament can reject or approve it.
But the House of Representatives said in a severe response to the president’s remarks that it would not allow anyone to embezzle public property by justifying “tastes” and “personal interpretations” of the law.
The speaker also said that the president’s remarks showed his “dark vision” and “ignorance” of the constitution. He stressed that the government has to adjust the budget based on this law, but it is up to the House of Representatives to decide and approve it.