Tonga's budget will meet the country's needs despite its focus being on long term recovery from February's Cyclone Gita, the country's finance minister says.
Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Pohiva Tu'ionetoa expects the budget to be passed by Thursday despite debates over the government books going into the night.
He has earmarked $US48 million in his $US293m budget for cyclone recovery.
Rebuilding a stronger and more resilient Tonga is the budget's theme, Mr Tu'ionetoa says.
"We have our normal priorities like the education, health and so forth and development projects that will be decided like climate change projects and so forth but the impact of the cyclone, that's the main focus."
The minister said parliament had been sitting well into the evenings so budget could be passed before parliament rests for Ha'apai Agricultural Day this weekend.
He said the sticking point seemed to be modifications proposed by the Public Accounts Committee.
Over the past month the committee had called the CEOs of the different ministries to review the budget, he said.
"They had some of their recommendations to add something to the budget, but we have to discuss them.
"Whether the House won't accept the adjustments to the budget. I believe from the perspective of the members it will depend on the magnitude of the changes."
Mr Tu'ionetoa said the government had been accused of redrafting the budget but he said the government was being responsible in its review of such an important document.
