* Budget making process. Midterm budget framework.
Budget Defined * A budget (from old French bougette, purse) is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. * A government budget is a legal document that is often passed by the legislature, and approved by the chief executive-or president. * The two basic elements: Revenues and Expenses. * Revenues are derived primarily from taxes and non-tax revenue. * Government expenses include spending on current goods and services, which economists call government consumption ; government investment expenditures such as infrastructure investment or research expenditure; and transfer payments like unemployment or retirement benefits, Social Safety nets
Basis of Budget * Budgets have an economic, political and technical basis. * Unlike a pure economic budget, they are not entirely designed to allocate scarce resources for the best economic use. * They also have a political basis wherein different interests push and pull in an attempt to obtain benefits and avoid burdens. * The technical element is the forecast of the likely levels of revenues and expenses
Budget Cycle

* Budget Preparation: The first phase of the budget cycle involves preparation by the departments/agencies, ministries and finally ministry of Finance * Legislative Approval: Typically, the legislature has the power to approve or reject a proposed budget. They review it and vote. If approved, it moves into the implementation phase. * Implementation and Execution: It is the duty of the executive branch - primarily involves distributing the budgeted resources to their designated recipients within the government and spending it as planned. * Audit and Review: Finally, a budget is typically audited and reviewed following implementation to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness in