Municipalities will benefit from Lim departments’ extra cash

POLOKWANE – The annual provincial adjustment appropriation budget will benefit municipalities with an additional R60,5 million allocated to the department of public works.

This will in turn be allocated to municipal rates and taxes that have been outstanding for long.

This means that municipalities will have more money available.

Treasury MEC Rudolph Phala tabled the 2014/15 Limpopo adjustment appropriation budget on November 18 in the provincial legislature.

This budget is tabled annually a few months into each new financial year.

The money comes from departments that failed to spend their entire budgets in the previous financial year.

This money is then rerouted to other departments who need additional funds for specific projects.

Departments that needed additional funding had to state their needs before the adjustment appropriation budget was allocated.

Treasury allocated the total adjustment of R1,324 billion to various departments.

The main allocations were as follows:

• The office of the premier received R12,8 million to address a shortfall on their personnel budget.

• The provincial legislature received R28,8 million to address various shortfalls in budget.

• The department of education received R372,5 million for various needs, and an additional R200 million for infrastructure assistance.

• The department of agriculture received R2,9 million for the payment of a bulldozer.

• Treasury received R6,4 million.

• The department of economic development, environment and tourism received R38,5 million of which R29,5 million would be used for infrastructure in nature reserves.

• The department of health received R245 million of which R150 million would be used to fund the compensation of employees.

• The department of social development received R14,7 million for the implementation of internships for social workers.