• 123 vote in favour, 80 against, two abstentions at third reading

The third reading of the Appropriation Bill for the fiscal year 2023 was passed in Parliament yesterday (8 December) by a majority of 43 votes.

Following a division on the 13-day debate regarding the third reading last evening, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana announced the results: 123 voted in favour of the Budget proposals, with only 80 against, and two abstentions from MPs C.V. Wigneswaran and Velu Kumar.

The debate on the committee stage, or the third reading, of the 2023 Budget commenced on 23 November following the division on the second reading on 22 November, which was passed by a majority of 37 votes.

During the vote on the second reading, 121 MPs in total had voted in favour of the Budget, while 84 MPs from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), National People’s Power (NPP), Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the Uttara Sabhagaya led by Wimal Weerawansa, and the Freedom People’s Congress led by Dullas Alahapperuma voted against it. MP C.V. Wigneswaran had abstained from voting in the division on the second reading as well.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, presented the 2023 Budget to Parliament on 14 November, aimed at creating long-term stable economic growth.

According to the 2023 Budget, Sri Lanka’s 77th Budget since Independence, the total expenditure for 2023 will be Rs. 5,819 billion (19.2% of gross domestic product [GDP]), while total revenue and grants will amount to Rs. 3,415 billion (11.3%).

Meanwhile, the budget deficit for fiscal year 2023 is estimated at Rs. 2,404 billion, which is 7.9% of GDP.

Through this budget, the Government has allocated Rs. 4,609 billion for recurring expenditures such as subsidies and salary payments. For salaries and wages, Rs. 1,002 billion has been set aside, and Rs. 1,114 billion for subsidies and transfers.