Kurt Burneo: TC decision on congressional spending initiative will be a problem

A decision by the Constitutional Court (CC) initiated by Congress on spending may present a challenge to Ministry of Economicssaid portfolio owner Curt Burneo.

Burneo cited the TC’s interpretation of Article 79 of the Constitution, which gave congressmen free rein to develop spending bills.

Despite what is stated in Magna Carta, the TC stated that section 79 “does not preclude a legislative initiative presented by congressmen from being a legal source, so that subsequently and within the limits of its powers, the executive branch determines or considers the inclusion of necessary paragraphs in the law on the annual budget to meet accounts which ultimately requires its materialization.

The head of the MEF described the NC’s decision as “highly troubling” as it would complicate the management of the MEF’s resources.

“That would mean that on the side Congress the budget for next year is set and the IEF will lose its ability to manage in accordance with its authority (…) We are going to be very active, because the fact that Congress is able to generate spending obviously makes it more difficult to manage resources, ”he said.

It should be noted that the TC ruling implies that a congressman’s spending initiative is prohibited only if he intends to change the current budget, but not the budget of the next or subsequent years.