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2015 General State Budget
Orsamentu Jerál Estadu 2015

13 October 2014.  Updated 4 May 2017.

Link to page on 2014 state budget. Liga ba pájina kona-ba OJE 2014.   Link to page on 2016 budget. Liga ba pájina kona-ba OJE 2016.

Contents of this page

Konteúdu pájina ida ne’e

Yellow Road Workshop

As in previous years, the Ministry of Finance held a "Yellow Road" workshop on 29-30 May 2014, outlining the principles behind their efforts to make the 2015 State Budget more sustainable. Unlike in 2013, the Ministry did not organize a similar workshop for the media and the public, but they did make the presentations (Tetum) available.

A few weeks later, La'o Hamutuk organized a Tetum-language public meeting where MoF Economic Policy Coordinator Helder Lopes presented on Economic Overview and Fiscal Policy (also PowerPoint), followed by a presentation on Sustainability by La'o Hamutuk's Charles Scheiner (also PowerPoint).

Yellow Road Workshop

Hanesan iha tinan hirak kotuk, Ministériu Finansas organiza workshop "Yellow Road" ida iha loron 29-30 Maiu 2014. Sira ko'alia kona ba prinsípiu sira ne’ebé sai baze ba sira nia esforsu atu halo Orsamentu Jerál Estadu 2015 hodi sai sustentável liu. Ministériu la organiza eventu ne’ebé hanesan ba konvite media ka sosiedade sivíl, maibé sira fahe aprezentasaun sira.

Hafoin semana balun, La'o Hamutuk organiza enkontru públiku ho Koordenador Politika Ekonomia Ministériu Finansas Helder Lopes aprezenta kona-ba Panorama Ekonomia no Politika Fiskál (mós PowerPoint), tuir fali ho aprezentasaun husi Peskizadór La'o Hamutuk, Charlie Scheiner kona-ba Sustentabilidade (mós PowerPoint).

2015 Budget Process

In early June, the Ministry of Finance circulated the calendar for budget activities among the various ministries, as well as guidelines (Tetum) for making their plans for 2015, and a list of the fiscal envelope allocated for salaries and goods & services for every State institution, totalling $525 million (about $90 million lower than their 2014 allocations.)

On 17 June, the Council of Ministers approved a $1.3 billion fiscal envelope for the 2015 General State Budget, the same as had been approved in June 2013 for the 2014 budget (which had grown to $1.5 billion by the time it was submitted to Parliament).

However, as the budget process continued, pressures to increase 2015 spending also mounted. The Council of Ministers discussed the sustainability of the 2015 budget at its 2 September meeting and 2014 budget execution at its meeting on 24 September, after which officials told journalists that the envelope had been increased to $1.5b. Following further discussions on 30 September, the Council approved a 2015 State Budget proposal of $1.57 billion on 2 October. Recurrent appropriations had been increased 30% over the $1.3b June fiscal envelope, and will absorb $236 million of the $270 million increase in planned spending added during the previous four months. The Council discussed the 2015 budget again on 13 October.

Prosesu orsamentál 2015

Iha inísiu fulan Juńu, Ministériu Finansas fahe kalendariu ba atividade orsamentál nian ba órgaun Estadu sira, no mós fahe matadalan atu halo sira nia planu ba 2015, no lista Pakote fiskál ba Instituisaun Estadu sira ho limita ba saláriu no bens & servisu, ho total hamutuk tokon $525 (maizumenus menus tokon $90 kompara ho alokasaun iha OJE 2014.)

Iha loron 17 Juńu, Konsellu Ministru aprova biliaun $1.3 ba pakote fiskál ba Orsamentu Jerál Estadu 2015, montante hanesan ne’ebé sira aprova iha Juńu 2013 ba OJE 2014 (ne’ebé ikus mai aumenta sai ba biliaun $1.5 bainhira molok Governu haruka ba Parlamentu).

Maski nune'e, bainhira prosesu orsamentál nian la'o hela, iha presaun atu aumenta despeza nian iha 2015. Konsellu Ministru diskute Sustentabilidade OJE 2015 nian iha sira-nia enkontru loron 2 Setembru no diskute ezekusaun OJE 2014 iha enkontru loron 24 Setembru. Hafoin enkontru ne'e, ofisiais sira hatete ba media katak pakote fiskál aumenta ona ba biliaun $1.5. Tuir fali mai diskusaun tan iha loron 30 Setembru, Konsellu Ministru proposta Orsamentu Estadu 2015 ho montante biliaun $1.57 iha loron 2 Outubru. Despeza rekurrente nian aumenta 30% dezde pakote fiskál biliaun $1.3 iha Juńu, no sei han tokon $236 husi tokon $270 ne’ebe aumenta ba planu durante fulan haat. Konsellu Ministru diskute OJE 2015 dala ida tan iha loron 13 Outubru.

Government budget proposal

The proposed budget law for 2015 approved by the Council of Ministers totals $1.57 billion, slightly larger than the $1.50 billion budget enacted for 2014. Expenditures are allocated as follows:

  • $184.1 million for Salaries and Wages (4% more than GSB 2014, 15% over June fiscal envelope)

  • $504.7 million for Goods and Services (5% more than GSB 2014, 38% over fiscal envelope)
    including $32.1 million through the Human Capital Development Fund

  • $340.3 million for Public Transfers (1.4% more than GSB 2014, 27% over fiscal envelope)

  • $  36.7 million for Minor Capital (30% less than GSB 2014)

  • $504.3 million for Development Capital (11% more than GSB 2014, 7% over fiscal envelope)
    including $434.0 million through the Infrastructure Fund.

The $1.57 billion will come from:

  • $638.5 million Estimated Sustainable Income from the Petroleum Fund

  • $689.0 million more from the Petroleum Fund above the ESI

  • $170.4 million domestic revenues (taxes and fees)

  • $    2.1 million carried over in the Human Capital Development Fund

  • $  70.0 million in loans, $11.1 million of which is carried over from 2014.

Before presenting the 2015 budget to Parliament on 15 October 2014, the Prime Minister persuaded the MPs to amend the 2014 budget law to allow transfers from the Petroleum Fund during 2014 in excess of the $632 million Estimated Sustainable Income, even though execution in cash through the end of the third quarter was only 50%, far below the 75% required by the original 2014 budget law.

One day after presenting the six detailed proposed budget books to Parliament, the Ministry of Finance published them on their website, and we included them below.

Proposta husi Governu

Proposta lei orsamentu ba 2015 ne’ebé Konsellu Ministru aprova ho total montante tokon $1,570, ne’e boot liu uitoan kompara ho tokon $1,500 iha OJE 2014. Despeza sira ne’ebé atu halo mak hanesan tuir mai:

  • tokon $184.1 ba Saláriu no Vensimentu (liu 4% kompara iha OJE 2014, no liu 15% kompara pakote fiskál husi Juńu)

  • tokon $504.7 ba Bens no Servisu (liu 5% kompara iha OJE 2014, no liu 38% kompara pakote fiskál husi Juńu) inklui tokon $32.1 liu Fundu Dezenvolvimentu Kapitál Umanu

  • tokon $340.3 ba Transferénsia Públiku (liu 1.4% kompara iha OJE 2014, no liu 27% kompara pakote fiskál husi Juńu)

  • tokon $  36.7 ba Kapitál Menór (menus 30% kompara kompara iha OJE 2014)

  • tokon $504.3 ba Kapitál no Dezenvolvimentu (liu 11% kompara iha OJE 2014, no liu 7% kompara pakote fiskál iha Juńu) inklui tokon $434.0 liu Fundu Infrastrutura.

Billaun $1.57 ne'e sei mai hosi:

  • tokon $638.5 mai hosi transferénsia hosi Fundu Petrolíferu tuir Rendimentu Sustentavel Estimazadu

  • tokon $689.0 mai hosi transferénsia tan hosi Fundu Petrolíferu liu RSE

  • tokon $170.4 hosi reseita doméstika (taxa no pagamentu)

  • tokon $    2.1 hosi osan restu iha Fundu Dezenvolvimentu Kapitál Umanu

  • tokon $  70.0 hosi empréstimu, inklui tokon $11.1 'carryover' hosi 2014.

Molok aprezentasaun OJE 2015 ba Parlamentu Nasionál iha loron 15 fulan Outubru 2014, Primeiru Ministru konvense Parlamentu Nasionál hodi halo revizaun ba Lei Orsamentál 2014 nian nune’e bele fó posibilidade atu halo transferénsia husi Fundu Petróleu ho montante tokon $632 liu Rendimentu Sustentavel Estimativu durante tinan 2014. Maski ezekusaun orsamentu iha fim do trimestre tolu atinje de’it 50%, ne’ebé ki’ik liu husi 75% ne’ebé rekere iha lei Orsamentál 2014.

Loron ida hafoin aprezentasaun kona ba livru neen OJE ba Parlamentu Nasionál, Ministériu Finansas publika dokumentu hirak ne’e iha sira nia pájina web no ami mós inklui iha okos.

These graphs show the proposed budget; see below for the enacted one. Click to see them larger.

The following table shows the appropriated (not considering whether it was executed) budget amounts for the enacted 2013 and 2014 state budgets and for the proposed and enacted 2015 budgets, in thousands of US dollars. The right-most column shows what has changed between the 2014 and 2015 budgets. Cells with green backgrounds had the biggest increases, while those with red backgrounds had the largest cuts.

Klik ba grafika ida-idak atu haree boot liu.

Iha tabela tuir mai hatudu orsamentu apropriasaun (ne’ebé la konsidera ezekusaun) iha OJE 2013 no 2014 no mós proposta no final OJE 2015 iha rihun dolar EUA nian. Iha koluna iha liman los liu hatudu saida mak muda ona entre OJE 2014 no 2015. Iha unidade ho kór verde ne’e hatudu kresimentu boot liu no sira ne’ebé ho kór mean ne’e hatún boot liu.

Sector appropriation

Alokasaun ba setór

OGE 13

pct 

OGE 14

pct 

proposed
OGE 15

approved
OGE15

pct 

Change
 2014-2015

Electricity

Eletrisidade

238,380

14.5%

167,165

11.1%

189,860

176,940

11.3%

5.8%

PDID /PNDS

PDID /PNDS

88,709

5.4%

55,298

3.7%

20,014

20,014

1.3%

-63.8%

Roads

Estrada

146,781

8.9%

95,001

6.3%

135,477

136,447

8.7%

43.6%

Water

Be mós

40,056

2.4%

16,068

1.1%

14,736

9,736

0.6%

-39.4%

Tasi Mane project

Projeitu Tasi Mane

144,402

8.8%

51,800

3.5%

43,881

41,781

2.7%

-19.3%

Ports & airports

Portu no aeroportu

 

 

26,358

1.8%

43,384

42,349

2.7%

60.7%

Nat'l Development Agency

Ajénsia Nasional ba Dezenvolvimentu (ADN)

 

 

30,035

2.0%

61,407

61,860

3.9%

106.0%

Other infrastructure

Infrastrutura seluk

124,407

7.6%

70,310

4.7%

60,924

62,186

4.0%

-11.6%

Executive

Ezekutivu

39,762

2.4%

64,445

4.3%

54,342

53,342

3.4%

-17.2%

Legislative (incl. elections)

Legizlativu (inkl. eleisaun)

29,332

1.8%

26,819

1.8%

26,221

26,544

1.7%

-1.0%

Judiciary

Judisiál

43,326

2.6%

43,614

2.9%

46,157

49,408

3.1%

13.3%

Administrative

Administrativu

101,618

6.2%

158,562

10.6%

132,603

130,571

8.3%

-17.7%

Education

Edukasaun

138,659

8.4%

160,585

10.7%

144,164

148,534

9.5%

-7.5%

Health

Saúde

68,971

4.2%

76,446

5.1%

74,445

72,053

4.6%

-5.7%

Veterans

Veteranu sira

95,831

5.8%

87,834

5.9%

137,279

137,229

8.7%

56.2%

Social security

Seguransa sosiál

39,419

2.4%

37,438

2.5%

35,668

35,668

2.3%

-4.7%

Housing

Uma

39,428

2.4%

13,070

0.9%

10,000

7,500

0.5%

-42.6%

Day labor

Trabalho tiga dolar

10,675

0.6%

12,193

0.8%

10,778

11,668

0.7%

-4.3%

Civil Society

Sosiedade Sivíl

16,025

1.0%

15,614

1.0%

14,329

14,803

0.9%

-5.2%

Sports

Desportu

7,815

0.5%

11,094

0.7%

12,164

12,158

0.8%

9.6%

Other social protection

Protesaun sosiál seluk

27,198

1.7%

40,994

2.7%

42,378

38,781

2.5%

-5.4%

Economy

Ekonomia

38,850

2.4%

50,444

3.4%

48,504

49,679

3.3%

-1.5%

Oecussi EEZ

ZEESM Oekusi

   

29,709

2.0%

59,511

81,930

5.2%

175.8%

Agriculture

Agrikultura

35,117

2.1%

35,587

2.4%

35,793

36,024

2.3%

1.2%

Police

PNTL

42,927

2.6%

47,175

3.1%

46,803

46,803

3.0%

-0.8%

Military

F-FDTL

41,365

2.5%

34,811

2.3%

33,248

32,766

2.1%

-5.9%

Other security

Seguransa seluk

16,344

1.0%

16,786

1.1%

8,934

9,316

0.6%

-44.5%

Contingency

Kontinjénsia

19,332

1.2%

19,000

1.3%

22,320

18,935

1.2%

-0.3%

Other

Seluk

12,792

0.8%

5,747

0.4%

4,678

4,978

0.3%

-13.4%

Total

Total

 1,647,521

 100%

 1,500,000

 100%

 1,570,000

 1,570,000

 100%

70,000 = 4.7% 

Note: Final OGE15 figures are provisional pending release of the final budget books. The ZEESM line includes unspecified amounts for other sectors.

Parliamentary discussion and approval

Parliament's Committee on Public Finance (Committee C) organized a seminar on the budget in Maubisse on 27-29 October. Presentations were given by La'o Hamutuk, UN Women, the Ministry of Finance, the European Union (also speech), the Major Projects Secretariat, the Central Bank, the ANP and the Camara de Contas. We will post the other presentations here when we obtain permission.

Parliament Committee C gave us Parliament's calendar for budget debate and decisions. Specialized committee hearings are on 4-11 November, and Committee reports will be submitted to the Parliamentary plenary on 27 November. General discussion in plenary will take place on 1-3 December, with specific discussion on 4-18 December concluding with a final vote.

Although Parliament did not invite any civil society organizations to testify to their hearings on the budget, they did allow La'o Hamutuk to observe several of them. On 7 November, the Minister for Petroleum and Mineral Resources and his team appeared before Committees C and D, presenting reports from the Ministry, the National Petroleum Authority (ANP), the TimorGAP National Oil Company and the Institute for Petroleum and Geology (IPG). Because the budget documents include little information about these agencies, we have posted their presentations to this website.

On 25 November, La'o Hamutuk wrote an open letter to every member of Parliament. The ten-page letter discusses several important aspects of the budget, including:

  • Oil really will run out.

  • Education and health are people’s rights, not business for the rich.

  • Money for veterans is doubled.

  • The Tasi Mane Project continues to bleed dollars.

  • Don’t spend money on a highway with unknown return.

  • The Dili Airport project is unclear.

  • Public-Private Partnerships require income.

  •     Petroleum House

  •     The Tibar Port project needs deeper evaluation.

  • It would be better to learn good practices than to borrow money.

  • We need more transparency and accountability in the petroleum sector.

The letter includes several graphs. Click on the thumbnails below to see any of them larger.

Discussion in the Parliamentary plenary began on 1 December with a speech by Prime Minister Xanana Gusmăo, followed by statements from each political party and the reading of the report from Committee C (Portuguese) and other standing Committees (Port.) on the proposed budget.  Many of the recommendations from the Committees reflected La'o Hamutuk's suggestions. This was the first of three days of general debate, which ended on 4 December with a vote to approve the 2015 GSB in generality. Although many MPs had criticized the budget during the debate, in this initial vote, 62 voted in favor, none against and two abstained.

At Government request, Parliament delayed the first day of detailed debate until 9 December, at which time they adopted a resolution to create a closed-door ad hoc committee to reach a single consensus amendment, outside of public view. La'o Hamutuk has been critical of this process in past years, and we continue to believe that it is a setback for democracy.

Diskusaun no aprovasaun iha Parlamentu Nasionál

Iha loron 27-29 Outubru, Komisaun C husi PN halo seminariu ida iha Maubisse kona-ba OJE 2015, ho aprezentasaun husi La'o Hamutuk no orgaun sira seluk.

Parlamentu Nasionál Komisaun C ba asuntu finansas públiku organiza semináriu kona ba Orsamentu Jerál Estadu iha Maubisse iha loron 28-29 fulan Outubru. Iha aprezentasaun husi La'o Hamutuk, UN Women, Ministériu Finansas, Uniaun Europeia (mos diskursu), Sekretáriu Grande Projetu, Banku Sentral, ANP no Câmara de Contas. Ami sei tau aprezentasaun sira seluk iha pájina ne’e wainhira ami hetan lisensa.

Parlamentu Nasionál Komisaun C fahe ba ami oráriu Parlamentu ba debate OJE no aprovasaun. Audiensia ba Komisaun Espesializada sei hala’o iha loron 4-11 November no relatóriu Komisaun sei hato’o iha plenária Parlamentu Nasionál iha loron 27 Novembru. Debate jerál iha plenária sei hahú iha loron 1-3 Dezembru, ho diskusaun espesífiku sei halo iha loron 4-18 Dezembru inklui votasaun final.

Maski Parlamentu Nasionál la fó konvite ba grupu sosiedade sivíl ida atu fó testemuńa ba sira nia audiensia kona ba orsamentu estadu, sira fó lisensa ba La'o Hamutuk atu rona audiensia balu. Iha loron 7 Novembru, Ministru Petróleu no Rekursu Minerais no ninia ekipa mai ba Komisaun C no D, aprezenta relatóriu sira husi Ministériu, Autoridade Nasionál Petróleu (ANP), kompańia mina nasionál TimorGAP no Institutu Petróleu no Jeolojia (IPG). Tanba dokumentu orsamentál la inklui informasaun barak kona ba ajénsia sira ne’e, ami inklui sira nia aprezentasaun sira iha website ida ne’e.

Iha loron 25 Novembru, La'o Hamutuk hakerek karta aberta ba Deputadu/a sira hotu. Ami nia karta ho pájina sanulu diskute asuntu balun importante kona-ba OJE 2015, hanesan:

  • Mina-rai atu hotu ona duni.
  • Edukasaun no Saúde, direitu ba povu, la’ós negósiu ba riku na’in.
  • Veteranu nia osan aumenta duplu!
  • Tasi Mane kontinua fakar osan.
  • Labele gasta osan ba auto-estrada ho retornu ki’ik.
  • Projetu Aeroportu Dili la klaru.
  • Parseria Públiku-Privada (PPP) presiza rendimentu.
  •      Petroleum House
  •      Projetu Portu Tibar tenke avalia tan.
  • Di’ak liu aprende sira nia pratika di’ak duke deve sira.
  • Ita Presiza liu transparénsia no kontabilidade iha setór petróleu.

Karta ida ne’e inklui gráfiku balun. Bele hili gráfiku ki’ik ida-idak atu hare boot liu.

Diskusaun iha Plenária Parlamentu nian hahú iha loron 1 Dezembru ho diskursu husi Primeiru-Ministru Xanana Gusmăo, tuir mai esteitementu husi partidu polítiku ida-idak, no lee relatóriu husi Komisaun C no Komisaun sira seluk kona ba proposta OJE. La'o Hamutuk tradús rekomendasaun husi Komisaun sira ba Ingles. Rekomendasaun barak husi Komisaun sira mak reflete La’o Hamutuk nia sujestaun. Ida ne’e loron primeiru husi debate jeneralidade ba loron tolu nian, ne’ebé remata iha loron 4 Dezembru ho votus aprovadu OJE 2015 iha jeneralidade. Maske Deputadu/a barak mak diskute orsamentu durante debate nia laran, iha votasaun inisiu ema na’in 62 vota a favor, kontra zero no abstensaun ema na’in rua.

Tuir pedidu husi Governu, Parlamentu adia debate espesialidade too loron 9 Dezembru, bainhira sira aprova rezolusaun atu kria Komisaun Eventual ida ne’ebé taka ba públiku atu hare alterasaun ba proposta Orsamentu Jerál Estadu 2015 no konkorda ho amendamentu uniku. Hanesan iha tinan kotuk, La'o Hamutuk hanoin katak prosesu ida ne'e aat ba demokrasia.

On 15 December, the ad hoc committee reported on its five meetings, proposing a substitute text for the Budget Law and supplying a table summarizing the 92 amendments it considered. The overall budget ceiling remains at $1.57 billion, although money has been shifted among the categories and funds. The committee agreed on:

  • $179m for wages and salaries ($5.0m less than Government had proposed)
  • $516m for goods and services ($11.6m more than Government had proposed)
  • $407m for public transfers ($66.5m more than Government had proposed)
  • $  26m for minor capital ($10.4m less than Government had proposed)
  • $442m for development capital ($62.7m less than Government had proposed)

The Human Capital Development Fund will be increased by $9 million, and the Infrastructure Fund is reduced by $66.7 million, with $57.7m more to be spent from the Consolidated Fund for Timor-Leste.

The large increase in public transfers and in CFTL is for the Oecussi economic zone (ZEESM) Authority, which will now get $82 million in public transfers, up from $10 million in the initial budget proposal. Some of this is being shifted from other budget lines, reducing transparency and accountability.

The Committee did not recommend changing the revenue or borrowing parts of the budget.

The Parliamentary Plenary duly approved the amendments proposed by the ad hoc Committee, with a unanimous vote for final approval on 18 December, celebrated in press releases from the Government and the Ministry of Finance. The approved budget looks like this in comparison with past years:

These graphs show the December enacted budget; see below for the rectified one. Click to see them larger.

Parliament transmitted the approved budget law to the President on 22 December, and he promulgated it on 29 December. The 2015 Budget was published as Law No. 6/2014 of 30 December in the Jornal da Republica.

On 29 December 2014, the Council of Ministers approved Procedures for Public Finances and Rules for Execution of the 2015 General State Budget, which were published in the Jornal da Republica as Government Decree No. 1/2015 of 7 January. The final Budget Books were published at the beginning of February, including a new book on the Oecusse Special Zone.

Iha loron 15 Dezembru, Komisaun Eventual relata sira nia soromutu lima nian, halo proposta textu substitutivu ba lei OJE no fahe tabela sumariu alterasaun 92 ne’ebé hetan konsiderasaun. Total OJE tomak kontinua ho biliaun $1.57 maske iha mudansa orsamentál entre kategoria no fundus. Komisaun eventual konkorda ba:

  • Tokon $179 ba saláriu no vensimentu (hamenus tokon $5.0 ne’ebé governu proposta antes)
  • Tokon $516 ba bens servisu (aumenta liu tokon $11.6 ne’ebé governu proposta antes)
  • Tokon $407 ba transferénsia públiku (aumenta liu tokon $66.5 ne’ebé governu proposta antes)
  • Tokon $  26 ba kapitál menór (hamenus tokon $104, ne’ebé governu proposta antes
  • Tokon $442 ba kapitál dezenvolvimentu (hamenus tokon $62.7 ne’ebé governu proposta antes

Fundu Dezenvolvimentu Kapitál Umanu sei aumenta ba tokon $9, no Fundu Infrastrutura redús ba tokon $66.7, no mós liu tokon $57.7 sei gasta husi Fundu Konsolidadu Timor-Leste.

Iha kresimentu boot iha transferénsia públiku no iha CFTL ba Autoridade Zona Ekonomia Oecusse (ZEESM) ne’ebé agora aloka . tokon $82 husi transferénsia públiku, aumenta husi tokon $10 iha proposta OJE inisiu. Parte balu husi ida ne’e muda husi lińa orsamentál seluk, hamenus transparénsia no kontabilidade.

Komisaun ne’e la rekomenda mudansa rendimentu no parte empréstimu iha orsamentu ne’e.

Depois Plenariu halo loron balu debate espesialidade, no halo votasaun final ho unanimidade iha loron 18 Dezembru.  Governu no Ministeriu Finansas apresia aprovasaun ida ne'e ho komunikade imprensa rua. Grafiku tuir mai hatudu OJE final kompara ho tinan pasadu:

 

Iha 22 Dezembru Prezidente PN haruka dekretu No 13/III, kona ba OJE 2015 ne’ebé hetan ona aprovasaun iha plenária PN ba PR atu estuda no analiza molok promulga. No iha loron 29 PR promulga dekretu No 13/III, kona ba OJE 2015 no haruka fila fali ba PN iha loron 30 Dezembru 2014. Lei No. 6/2014 publika ona iha Jornal da Republika.

Iha 29 Dezembru 2014, Konselhu Ministru aprova Dekretu "Kona-bá Prosedimentu Finansa Públika no Regra Ezekusaun Orsamentu Jeral Estadu tinan 2015" ne'ebe publika iha Jornal da Republica hanesan Dekretu Governu No. 1/2015 de 7 Janeiru.

Budget rectification

In February 2015, the structure of the Government was changed, with some ministries being combined and others being created, which therefore required revision of the State Budget. La'o Hamutuk wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Dr. Rui Maria Araujo and others encouraging that the rectification also reduce the total budget, in light of falling oil prices and the rising U.S. dollar.

Unfortunately, the Ministry of Finance decided to keep the $1.57 billion fiscal envelope. They prepared a draft revised budget law for the Council of Ministers to analyze on 5 March, but the Council of Ministers sent it back to the Ministry for "necessary adjustments."  That same evening, La'o Hamutuk gave a presentation on the Sustainability of Timor-Leste's fiscal policy in light of falling oil revenues.

On 9 March, the Ministry of Finance responded to La'o Hamutuk's open letter, explaining that they will not revise the budget "every time" oil prices or exchange rates change (which is not what La'o Hamutuk asked for -- we only suggested that since a budget rectification was happening anyway, the revenue projections should be reviewed).

On 12 March, the Council of Ministers approved the proposed budget revision without changing the $1.57 billion total approved expenditure. The revision "establishes a budgetary policy allowing to improve the formulation of public policies, to strengthen long-term planning and eliminate unnecessary functioning expenses, mainly by reducing the number of Government members."

On 17 March, Parliament approved the schedule for considering the Government Program and proposed rectification of the State Budget for 2015, as follows:

  • 24-25 March: Debate and approve Government program
  • 26 March: create an Ad-hoc Committee (Komisaun Eventual) to revise the proposed budget
  • 27-28 March: Ad-hoc Committee meets in closed session
  • 30 March; Ad-hoc Committee reports to the Parliamentary plenary
  • 1 April: Plenary debate and approval of budget in generality
  • 6-7 April: Plenary debate and approval of budget in specifics
  • 8-9 April: Final editing and transmission to the President for promulgation.

Although the Government decided not to accept La'o Hamutuk's suggestion to reduce total expenditures or recalculate the Estimated Sustainable Income, their Budget Book recognizes that falling oil prices and revenues have significant impacts on state finances:
   "The recent fall in the benchmark oil price by over 50 per cent will certainly affect the future revenues from oil and gas sector in future months. However, due to limited data on long-term forecast and other assumptions such as production and costs, the full ESI calculation is only performed annually in July in preparation for State Budget 2016. ...
   "The State Budget 2015 uses Brent oil price forecasts developed by the EIA in May 2014. The EIA publishes long-term oil price forecasts annually and the next report is released in March. [The Petroleum Fund Administrative Unit in the Ministry of Finance] has estimated projections from the EIA's updated forecasts for 2015 and 2016 along with their previously published estimates of long-run prices. This is considered as a conservative estimate. Applying these projections reduces the expected revenues by 45 per cent from $5,322.6 million to $2,940.9 million. This assumes other factors such as production and costs remain unchanged."

The Ministry of Finance also estimates that "more than 70% of the Petroleum Wealth ... from Bayu-Undan and Kitan has [already] been extracted and transformed into financial assets." They also project, although it is not explicitly written, that 46% of the oil and gas remaining in these two fields will be extracted during 2015 and 2016, which is one reason that the current fall in oil prices will have such a large impact on expected total revenues.

On 24 March, Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araujo presented the Sixth Constitutional Government Program for 2015-2017 to National Parliament. After two days of discussion among MPs and Ministers, Parliament endorsed the program without a vote.

On 26 March, Parliament requested written submissions on the draft Budget Rectification from La'o Hamutuk, UN Women, the Court of Appeals and the Petroleum Fund Consultative Council. The Committee met for three days, and La'o Hamutuk sent them a submission. On 1 April, Prime Minister Rui Araujo presented the budget to Parliament, and the Ad Hoc Committee submitted its report and Single Substitute Text (Port.) amendment prior to the bebate in Generality.

As in past budget processes, the Ad Hoc Committee was very generous to ZEESM, increasing its appropriation during 2015 to $133.4 million.  Although GDP growth in Timor-Leste has dropped to the mid-single-digits, and oil revenues are falling, ZEESM's 2015 money, allocated as a 'public transfer' with no specificity or accountability, is escalating rapidly:

  • $    9.9 million in Government's Budget Proposal (Oct. 2014)

  • $  81.9 million approved by Parliament (Dec. 2014)

  • $  93.4 million in Government's proposed Budget Rectification (Feb. 2015)

  • $133.4 million recommended by Parliamentary Committee (Mar. 2015).

Because of Bishop Ricardo's funeral, Parliament debated the budget in specifics for only a day and a half, and then unanimously approved the Committee's substitute text on 7 April. Each article was discussed very briefly, with no follow-up questions allowed. Consensus and technicalities received more attention than the substantive contents of the budget. La'o Hamutuk has compiled a table of the major changes from the original 2015 budget, which includes the following additions over $1 million:

  • $51.5m (63%) more for the Oecusse Authority (ZEESM)
  • $  5.0m (26%) more for legal services under Whole of Gov't
  • $  4.5m (2000%) more for ACITL - TL International Cooperation Agency
  • $  2.8m (33%) more for operations of the Ministry of Education
  • $  2.0m (13%) more for hospital services in the Ministry of Health
  • $  2.0m (new) for "stability operations" under Whole of Gov't
  • $  2.0m (new) for the office of the new Minister of State for Economic Issues
  • $  1.3m (new) for the office of the new Minister of Planning and Strategic Investment
  • $  1.1m (new) for the Public-Private and Borrowing Unit under Whole of Gov't
  • $  1.1m (new) for the Cultural Assets directorate in Min. Tourism

and reductions:

  • $7.8 million (39%) cut from the National Suco Development Program (PNDS)
  • $5.0 million (  8%) cut from the National Development Agency (ADN)
  • $3.2 million (17%) cut from the contingency reserve
  • $2.2 million (14%) cut from the Social Action directorate in Min. Education
  • $2.1 million (31%) cut from the Curriculum and Evaluation directorate in Min. Education
  • $1.0 million (  6%) cut from the Secretary-General of the Foreign Ministry

The above list does not include shifts and changes due to the restructuring of the government.

President Taur Matan Ruak signed the Budget Rectification on 13 April, and it was promulgated as Law No. 1/2015 of 13 April.  The Ministry of Finance published the revised budget books three weeks later.

Orsamentu Retifikativu

Iha Fevereiru 2015 iha mudansa ba estrutura Governu nian, iha ne’ebé tau hamutuk ona ministériu balun no kria mós ministériu foun sira seluk. Tan ne’e tenke halo duni revizaun ba Orsamentu Estadu. La’o Hamutuk hakerek karta aberta ida ba Primeiru Ministru Dr. Rui Maria Araujo no sira seluk atu enkoraja katak retifikasaun ne’e sei redús total orsamentu, no haree mós ba situasaun folin mina ne’ebé tun no folin moeda dolar Amerika ne’ebé sa’e.

Maski nune’e, Ministériu Finansas deside atu mantén nafatin montante billaun $1.57 iha envelope fiskál. Sira prepara ona esbosu lei ba revizaun orsamentu nian atu hato’o ba Konsellu Ministru atu analiza iha loron 5 fulan Marsu. Maibé Konsellu Ministru haruka fila fali ba Ministériu atu nune’e bele halo “alterasaun ne’ebé nesesáriu.” Orsida kalan loron hanesan, La'o Hamutuk fo aprezentasaun kona-ba Politika Fiskal: Sustentavel ka lae?

Iha loron 9 Marsu, Ministériu Finansas responde ba La'o Hamutuk nia karta aberta, esplika katak sira labele altera orsamentu estadu "wainhira" folin mina ka valor dolar tun ka sae (maske La'o Hamutuk husu de'it atu altera agora tanba tenke halo retifikasaun atu responde ba remodelizasun).

Iha loron 12 Marsu, Konsellu Ministrus aprova proposta alterasaun ba OJE 2015, maibe sira la muda total despezas billaun $1.57. Alterasaun ida ne'e "bele hadi’a di’ak liután formulasaun politíka públika nian sira, reforsa planeamentu ba tempu naruk no hasai tiha despeza funsionamentu nian ne’ebé mak la presiza, liuliu ho númeru membru Governu nian ne’ebé mak menus ona."

Iha loron 17 Marsu, Parlamentu aprova Kalendariu atu konsidera Programa Governu (Portugues) no proposta Orsamentu Rektifikativu ba 2015, hanesan tuir mai ne’e:

  • 24-25 Marsu: Debate no aprova programa Governu
  • 26 Marsu: kria Komisaun Eventual atu halo revizaun ba proposta orsamentu refere
  • 27-28 Marsu: Komisaun Eventual hasoru malu iha enkontru taka ba publiku
  • 30 Marsu: Komisaun Eventual hato’o relatoriu ba plenaria Parlamentu
  • 1 Abril: Debate plenaria no halo aprovasaun orsamentu iha jeneralidade
  • 6-7 Abril: Debate plenaria no halo aprovasaun orsamentu iha espesialidade
  • 8-9 Abril: Halo redaksaun final no hato’o ba Presidente atu promulga.

Maske Governu desidi atu la simu  sujestaun husi La’o Hamutuk konaba hamenus despeza total no kalkula fila fali Rendimentu Estimativa Sustentavel, Livru Orsamentu Rektifikasaun rekońese katak folin mina no reseitas ne’ebé tun no iha impaktu ne’ebé signifikante ba finansas estadu nian:
   "Presu mina uza hanesan sasukat nebé monu liu husi 50% serteza sei afeita ba rendimentu iha futuru husi sektor mina no gas. Maibe, tanba iha limitadu ba dadus kona-ba previsaun tempu naruk no suposisaun (assumption) sel-seluk hanesan produsaun no kustus, kalkulasaun RSE sei halo deit iha fulan Julho iha preparasaun ba Orsamentu Estadu 2016. ...
   "Orsamentu Estadu 2015 uza previzaun presu mina Brent husi AIE iha Maio 2014. AIE publika previzaun presu mina kada tinan dala ida deit no sei hasai relatoriu foun iha fulan Marsu. UAFP tenta halo estimasaun bazeia ba previzaun AIE ba 2015 no 2016 hamutuk ho nebé previsaun publika ona kona-ba presu ba tempu naruk nian. Ida ne’e konsidera estimasaun konservativa tebes. Aplika previzaun hirak ne’e hatun rendimentu espetativa 45%, husi miliaun $5,322.6 ba miliaun $2,940.9. Ida ne’e asumi katak fatores seluk hanesan produsaun no kustus laiha mudansa."

Ministériu Finansa mos estimativa katak “70% husi Rikusoin Minarai … husi kampu Bayu-Undan no Kitan hasai tiha ona husi tasi okos no transforma ona ba asoes finanseiru.” Sira mos projeta, maske la hakerek ho esplísitu, katak 46% husi mina no gas ne’ebé sei iha kampu rua ne’e sei hasai durante 2015 no 2016, ne’ebé hanesan razaun ida katak situasan folin mina ne’ebé tun daudauk ne’e sei fó impaktu ida ne’ebé boot ba total reseitas ne’ebé ita hein atu hetan.

Iha loron 24 Marsu, Primeiru Ministru Rui Maria de Araujo aprezenta  Programa Governu Konstitusionál VI ba tinan 2015-2017 (Port.) ba Parlamentu Nasional. Hafoin halo diskusaun durante loron rua ho Deputadu/a no Ministru/a sira, Parlamentu apresia programa ida ne'e, maske laiha votasaun.

Iha 26 Marsu, Parlamentu husu submisaun eskrita kona-ba esbosu Orsamentu Retifikativu husi La’o Hamutuk, UN Women, Tribunal do Rekursu no Konsellu Konsultativu Fundu Petrolíferu. Komisaun hasoru malu durante loron tolu, no La’o Hamutuk haruka nia submisaun ida. Iha loron 1 Abril, Primeiru Ministru Rui Maria de Araujo aprezenta orsamentu retifikativu, no Komisaun Eventual hato’o sira nia relatóriu (Port). no Texto Único Substitutivo (Port.) ba Plenaria molok debate iha jeneralidade

Hanesan ho prosesu orsamentu sira seluk iha pasadu, Komisaun Eventual ho jenerosidade ne’ebé boot ba ZEESM, aumenta dotasaun durante 2015 nian ba tokon $133.4. Maski kresimentu PIB iha Timor-Leste monu ona ba ‘mid-single-digits’, no reseita mina-rai nian tun, osan ZEESM nian ba 2015, ne’ebé aloka nudár ‘transferénsia públiku’ la ho espesialidade no kontabilidade, sa’e maka’as tebtebes:

  • Tokon $   9.9 iha Proposta Orsamentu Governu nian (Out. 2014)

  • Tokon $  81.9 mak aprova iha Parlamentu Nasional (Dez. 2014)
  • Tokon $  93.4 iha Governu nia Proposta Orsamentu Retifikativu (Fev. 2015)
  • Tokon $133.4 ne’ebé Komisaun Parlamentar nian rekomenda (Mar. 2015).

Tanba funeral ba Bispu Ricardo, Parlamentu nia debate espesialidade nian ba de’it loron ida ho balu, no ikus mai aprova ho unanimidade ba Testu Úniku Substitutivu hosi Komisaun Eventual iha loron 7 Abril. Kada artigu ne’e diskute lalais de’it, laiha pergunta tan hafoin diskusaun nian. Konsensu no asuntu tékniku nian ne’e hetan atensaun barak duke konteúdu ne’ebé subtantivu iha orsamentu nia laran. La’o Hamutuk halo tiha tabela ida kona-ba mudansa boot sira hosi orsamentu orijinál 2015 nian, ne’ebé inklui adisionál balu seluk liu tokon $1:

  • t$51.5 (63%) liu ba Autoridade Oecusse (ZEESM)
  • t$  5.0 (26%) liu ba asisténsia legal
  • t$  4.5 (2000%) liu ba ACITL - TL nia Ajénsia Kooperasaun Internasionál
  • t$  2.8 (33%) liu ba operasaun Ministériu Edukasaun nian
  • t$  2.0 (13%) liu ba asisténsia ospitál iha Ministériu Saúde
  • t$  2.0 (foun) ba "operasaun estabilidade"
  • t$  2.0 (foun) ba Gabinete Ministru Estadu Asuntu Ekonómiku
  • t$  1.3 (foun) ba Gabinete Ministru Planeamentu no Investimentu Estratéjiku
  • t$  1.1 (foun) ba Unidade Parseria Públiku-Privadu no Empréstimu nian iha “Dotaçao todo Governo”
  • t$  1.1 (foun) ba Diresaun Patrimóniu Kulturál iha Ministériu Turizmu

no redusaun sira, atu aumenta eskritóriu ne’ebé junta hamutuk ka taka ona:

  • t$7.8 (39%) kua hosi Programa Nasional Dezenvolvimentu Suco (PNDS)
  • t$5.0 (  8%) kua hosi Ajénsia Dezenvolvimentu Nasional (ADN)
  • t$3.2 (17%) kua hosi fundu kontinjénsia
  • t$2.2 (14%) kua hosi Diresaun Asaun Sosial Eskolár nian iha Min. Edukasaun
  • t$2.1 (31%) kua hosi Diresaun Kurukulu no Avaliasaun iha Min. Edukasaun
  • t$1.0 (  6%) kua hosi Sekretáriu Jerál MNEC

Lista sira iha leten ne’e la inklui mudansa orsamentál tanba restrutura Governu nian.

Documents Dokumentu
Analysis and commentary Analiza no komentáriu
Links to relevant topics on La'o Hamutuk's website Liga ba tópiku sira ne’ebé relevante iha website La’o Hamutuk
The Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis (La’o Hamutuk)
Institutu Timor-Leste ba Analiza no Monitor ba Dezenvolvimentu
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P.O. Box 340, Dili, Timor-Leste
Tel: +670-3321040 or +670-77234330
email:
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