About 50 percent of South Sudan's proposed 2021-2022 budget to the tune of SSP 287.0 billion will go to salaries and service delivery, according to the ministry of finance.

This was revealed in Wednesday's presentation of the finance and appropriation bills by the minister of finance and planning Agak Achuil Lual.

"The total expenditure proposed for the FY2021- 2022 is SSP 287.0 billion. Of this amount, SSP 84.1 billion which represents 29.3% is proposed to go to wages and salaries, SSP 82.9 billion which represents 28.9% for the use of goods and services, SSP 46.5 billion which represents 16.2% is earmarked for other capital expenditures," the minister announced. 

"While SSP 15.0 billion which represents 5.2% of the budget has been earmarked to go towards peace implementation and SSP 6.4 billion which represents 2.2 percent is for contingency for unforeseen circumstances," he added.

Minister Achuil said 18 percent of the proposed budget would go to pay for international obligations and 0.1 percent of the budget to cater for other expenditures which were not elaborated. 

He revealed that the annual budget will be financed by expected oil and non-oil revenues including grants from other countries.

"The government proposes to spend a total of SSP 287.0 billion which represents 12.8% of the GDP estimated at SSP 2.241.0 trillion. Of this amount, SSP 169.3 billion or 7.6% will be financed by domestic revenues while SSP 77.4 billion which represents 3.5% will be through credit (i.e. concessional loans) from our cooperating partners. The balance of SSP 40.3 billion, which represents 1.8% is the financing gap in the budget which we propose to finance through commercial borrowing." 

Speaking after the presentation of the bills, House Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba gave the legislators 21 days to scrutinize the document.

"Financial Bill 2022 and appropriation bill 2022 is committed to the committee of legislation and legal affairs of the national legislature and both are expected to report to the house within 21 days," she directed. "Both will jointly report to the house within 21 days in accordance with regulation 104 (4) of the transitional legislature, according to Conduct of Business 2013 as amended 2021."