PM announces deficit Budget and 20% salaries cuts for Cabinet and MPs [1]
Monday, May 18, 2020 - 13:32
Faced with a deficit National Budget for 2020-21, the salaries of Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament will be reduced by 20%, to help Tonga to counter the impact of the COVID-19, the Prime Minister told parliament this morning.
Tonga’s Prime Minister, Hon. Dr Pohiva Tu’o’onetoa announced the deficit in his introductory budget speech, after the House’s morning tea break at 10.15am, and went on until the House closed for lunch at 12.20pm.
The announcement was made before the Minister of Finance tabled the 2020-2021 National Budget.
There were objections from People’s Representatives, Mateni Tapueluelu and Semisi Sika, who criticised the PM’s long speech, because they said the PM was just promoting his newly established political party, the People’s Party, but he should allow the Minister of Finance to present the 2020-21 National Budget.
The Speaker, however, gave the PM more free time to complete his speech.
Apart from promoting his Party that has been in power for seven months since 11 October last year, the PM told the House that the 2020-21 National Budget will be a Deficit Budget, and the salaries of Cabinet Minister and Members of Parliament will be reduced by 20%, but he did not mention the size of the budget..
The budget will be presented after lunch.