The Tonga National Annual Budget for FY2023-2024 has been passed in parliament last night.
A budget of $784.2 million pa’anga was passed with 14-0 votes.
The Ministry of Infrastructure received the biggest budget allocation and the Ministry of Finance and National Planning (18%), followed by the Ministry of Education and Training with 17% and a 9% allocation for both the Ministry of Health and MEIDECC.
This second budget of the current government focuses on economic recovery, greater resilience and sustainability.
A statement said “The Minister of Finance, Tiofilusi Tiueti said that after comparing the revenue collection and government expenditure for 2023-24, “there is a budget deficit of $27.2 million.”
“The total budget funded by donor partners for 2024 is about $364.7 million. Of that amount, $96.3 million is cash (26.4 percent) while $268.4 million is donor in kind.”