FG okays N10.07 trillion for 2020 fiscal year

• N2.45 trillion earmarked for debt servicing
• N296 billion set aside as sinking fund

Admin l Wednesday, September 11, 2019

ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal Government today approved the sum of N10.7 trillion as short and medium term expenditure for the 2020 fiscal year. Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed made the revelation while speaking to State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council(FEC) meeting in Abuja.

According to her, council also approved Medium Term Expenditure Framework from 2020 to 2022.

“The expenditure for the year 2020 is in the total sum of N10.07 trillion. This is 3 percent less than the approved expenditure in the 2019 budget that has been passed into law. The total expenditure includes statutory transfers, non-debt recurrent expenditure such as salaries and pensions and also the social intervention Programme,’’ she said.

She explained that an extimated N2.45 trillion has been earmarked for debt servicing, while N296 billion has been set aside as sinking fund to retire maturing obligations issued to local contractors and other creditors.

“So there is a total sum of N3.43 trillion that is provided for personnel and pension cost inclusive of N218 billion for the top 19 government-owned enterprises in the country. This represents an increase of N453 billion over the 2019 approved budgetary expenditure. This also implies a 40 percent of this recurrent expenditure to the projected revenue.

“The budget deficit is projected at N2.15 trillion in the year 2020 and this is lower than what was approved in the 2019 budget which was N2.47 trillion.

“Let me state that these projections include drawdowns on project tied loans and this represents 1.51 percent of estimated gross domestic product (GDP). This is well below what is allowed by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007 which is still put at three percent. I want to add that council approved our presentation and so the next phase for us is to consult with the National Assembly,’’ she said,

She noted that Council has agreed that “we start the process towards the increase of the VAT rate. We are proposing and Council has agreed to increase the VAT rate from five percent to 7.2 percent.

“This is important because the federal government only retains 15 percent of the VAT, 85 percent is actually for the states and local government and the states need additional revenue to be able to meet the obligations of the minimum wage.

“This process involves extensive consultation that needs to be made across the country at various levels and also it will involve the review of the VAT Act. So, it is not going to be implemented immediately until the Act is reviewed.

“So accordingly, following these assumptions the total revenue estimate in the sum of N7.5 trillion for the year 2020 and N2.09 trillion that will be accruing to the federation account and the VAT respectively.

“There will of course be the distribution to the three tiers of government based on the statutory revenue sharing formula as defined in the constitution and to this effect, it means the federal government will be receiving proposed aggregate of N4.26 trillion from the federal account and the VAT pool.

“The states and the local governments are expected to receive N3.04 trillion and N2.27 trillion respectively”, she said.