Budget passed with majority of 43 votes

The Appropriation (Amendment) Bill for the fiscal year 2023 was passed by the House yesterday (8) with a majority of 43 votes.

123 MPs voted in favour and 80 MPs against the Budget 2023 while two MPs abstained from voting.

The Chief Opposition Whip, Member of Parliament Lakshman Kiriella called for the vote and the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced to Parliament that the Budget was considered and passed with amendments during the Budget Committee. Independent MPs who voted in favour of the Budget 2023 included Priyankara Jayarathne, Sudarshini Fernandopulle and Duminda Dissanayake. MP H. Nandasena was absent during the voting due to illness.

Thamil Makkal Thesiya Kuttani MP C.V. Wigneswaran and Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Velu Kumar abstained from voting.

Independent MPs who did not come for the voting include Jayarathna Herath, Maithripala Sirisena, Nimal Piyathissa, Uddika Premaratne, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, H.M.M. Haris. Samagi Jana Balawegaya MPs Kumara Welagama and Kavinda Heshan Jayawardena did not come for the voting as well.

The absent MPs in the opposition also include TNA MPs R. Sampanthan, A. Adekkalanadan, K. Karunakaran, D. Sidhdharthan, S. Noharadalingam, S. Sritharan, M.A. Sumanthiran, Charles Nirmalanadan, R. Rasamanikkam and T. Kalai Arasan.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, presented the Budget 2023 to parliament on November 14, with the aim of creating long-term stable economic growth.

According to the 2023 budget, 77th budget of independent Sri Lanka, the total expenditure for 2023 will be Rs. 5,819 billion (19.2 percent) and the total revenue and grants will be Rs. 3,415 billion (11.3 percent).

Meanwhile, the budget deficit for the fiscal year 2023 is estimated at Rs. 2,404 billion, which is 7.9 as a percentage.

From Budget 2023, the Government has allocated Rs. 4,609 billion for recurring expenditure such as subsidies and salary payments. For salaries and wages, Rs. 1,002 billion has been set aside, and Rs. 1,114 billion for subsidies and transfers.

The Third Reading debate or the committee stage debate on the Budget 2023 commenced on November 23 following the division on the second reading on November 22, which was passed by a majority of 37 votes.

During the vote on the second reading, 121 parliamentarians in total had voted in favour of the budget while 84 MPs from Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), National People’s Power (NPP), Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Uttara Sabhagaya led by Wimal Weerawansa and Freedom People’s Congress led by Dullas Alahapperuma voted against it.