Finance Minister is next week Friday expected to present 2019 national budget to parliament.
Vice President Inonge Wina has told parliament that Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe will on Friday present the 2019 national budget at 14:30hrs.

And the Vice President has reassured Zambians and investors that Zambia’s economy is not in a crisis.
Speaking during the 45 minutes Vice President Question Time in Parliament, Mrs. Wina says there is no economic crisis in Zambia as confirmed by the World Bank this week.

“Mr. Speaker, next week the Minister of Finance will present the 2019 national budget to parliament clearly this shows that there is no economic crisis in the country as claimed by those who do not mean well for this country,” she said.

Mrs. Wina says it is pleasing that yesterday she was visited Members of Parliament from United Kingdom and that they expressed happiness over the measures taken by government in promoting transparency and accountability when handling public and donor funds.

And in another development, Ministry of Finance Head of Public Relations Chileshe Kandeta says over the last four months, the Ministry of Finance has been conducting budget consultations and facilitating policy dialogue with all stakeholders and the general public throughout the country.

Mr. Kandeta says in order to ensure that broad consultations with stakeholders were attained, the Ministry held Provincial Consultative Meetings at which members of the general public, private sector, civil society, and other non-state actors were invited to make proposals on tax, non-tax and other developmental and fiscal policy proposals for consideration in the process of formulating the 2019 Budget.

He says the budget formulation process is now in the final stages.

“The expenditure estimates and revenue measures for the 2019 National Budget are being refined and the Minister of Finance will be ready to present the budget next week on Friday, 28th September, 2018,” he said.