SRA must be involved in budget planning

EZULWINI - For government to be prudent in its expenditure, economists have noted that the Swaziland Revenue Authority (SRA) must be involved in the budget planning stage.

University of Swaziland’s Winnie Madonsela- Kamalandua, an economist opined that it would be wise for government to collaborate with the SRA when drawing up the national budget plan.

Madonsela - Kamalandua said the SRA must contribute due to the mere fact that it was the tax collector so it could help government direct money to the sectors which were key at generating the country’s economy.

She noted that the SRA knew exactly which sectors brought more revenue to the country.

However, the Commissioner General of the SRA, Dumisani Masilela did not consider it as something which can be implemented. He said: "The SRA was established under certain policies and it has its mandate which it has to fulfil."

He further said there were some institutions which were created for advising government on the budget planning.

On another note, Central Bank of Swaziland (CBS) Governor Martin Dlamini opined the Central Bank needs to have a close collaboration with government at the budget planning stage. "This can facilitate an orderly implementation of the financing plan," Dlamini noted.

He said such could happen because the Central Bank plays a major role in assisting government raise finance in the domestic market.