Now, that I have read the whole budget speech delivered by the Finance Minister, I have some issues with the earlier confidence about the quality of the budget.
Here is a quick glance at the budget:
- Total budget: Rs 236 billion 15.9 million
- Recurrent expenditure: Rs 128 billion 516.5 million ( up by 40.6%)
- Capital expenditure: Rs 91 billion 311 million (up by 64.5%)
- Repayment of loans: Rs 16 billion 189.3 million (down by 1%)
- General administration: Rs 111 billion 824.9 million
- Development programs: Rs 124 billion 199 million
- Current sources of revenue: Rs 129 billion 215 million
- Total foreign assistance: Rs 65 billion 793.8 million (Foreign grant Rs 47 billion 93.2 million, Foreign loan Rs 18 billion 700.6 million) Net budget deficit Rs 41billion 11.6 million
- GDP growth 7%
- Agricultural growth 4.5%
- Non-agricultural growth 8.3%
- Inflation 7.5%
Some bad stuff:
- Socialist slogans and very populist budget
- Extremely inflated budget...revenue target very unrealistic...
- Investment Board and Cooperative Board (to promote private and cooperative sectors) under the Economic Council (which coordinates the two boards' activities and align them with national priority)...this might be easier said than done...what if the interest of these two boards clash? What if the cooperative sector crowd out private investment? Less regard to individual and private sector incentive mechanism...
- Deficit financing sure to put upward pressure on price level
- Efficiency and productivity are compromised by plans to revive moribund, sick state-owned enterprises like Hetauda Textile Mills, Gorakhkali Rubber Industry, Agricultural Tools Factory of Birgunj, fresh injection of funds to Nepal Airlines Corporation to buy two large aircraft...the problem with these sick policies to revive sick firms is that it just looks at the supply side, completely forgetting demand aspect. It is said that the security forces would buy textiles from these Mills, and agricultural tools would be purchased in the domestic market. However, the demand from the security forces is limited, which means that growth prospect of these sick companies is being compromised. Also, why would people buy agricultural tools manufactured in Nepal at a high prices when they can get the same products at a cheaper price across the border? We might end up making stuff no one uses (recall the wasteful resource investment in the Soviet Union)
- Ambitious electric railway projects...at a time when there is more than 30 hours a week load shedding in... from where will the country get electricity to run electric rails?
- Lots of loopholes for corruption, especially in social security reforms and debt relief ...no scientific methodology revealed so far
- too many commissions without plans for solidifying and consolidating the existing ones
- As argued earlier, how can Nepal attain double-digit growth rate in just three years. It is very impractical given the institutional and financing constraints to the economy.
- No plans to tackle very rigid social, political, and economic political institutions that have been constraints to economic growth
The biggest hurdle, however, would be in implementation of the projects and coordination among numerous new and old commissions. I would be modest and not be too optimistic and too pessimistic! I will try to write an Op-Ed in detail along these lines this week, provided that there won't be too much pressure from the classes I am taking this semester!
Read the full budget transcript in English here.
More reactions here, here (Bhattarai defends the quality and quantity of budget)
Listen the whole budget speech is here (sorry it is in Nepali):
