Moody�s sees a wider budget deficit for Botswana
Friday, August 28, 2015
The 2016-2017 Budget Strategy Paper (BSP) released by the finance ministry last week, estimates the economy to grow by 2.6 percent while the budget balance is now seen posting a deficit of P4.03 billion or 2.6 percent of GDP.
In February, finance minister Kenneth Matambo announced a growth target of 4.9 percent for 2015, while the budget was seen posting a surplus of P1.23 billion or 0.8 percent of GDP. The revision of the 2015/16 budget outrun was largely attributed to a P3 billion fall in SACU revenues, which are paid in advance for the 2015, from the original estimate of P16.34 billion (29.5 percent of GDP) to P13.75 (26.6 percent of GDP).
The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...