Budget Calendar

[STONE]

Many of you know my rants on the budget calendar.  I often feel that it's just an age thing - you know, "PFM processes used to run on time when I was a lad"... but it keeps coming back to me like an arthritic joint in damp weather so I'd like to set up  rant point about budget calendars and how they are misunderstood especially by development partners and especially the currently headless one...anyone want to play?   I have three country examples ready to share...

[STONE]

Quiz time...


Why does the English fiscal year start on April 1st or thereabouts?

Why do fiscal years in some parts of Sub Saharan Africa start on 1st July?

Why do other countries start in 1st January?

I think I know the answers to 2 of these questions, but i do like to learn.

[STONE]

I meant to start all this with a reference to PEFA PI 11

"PI-11. Orderliness and participation in the annual budget process

Dimension (i)Existence of and adherence to a fixed budget calendar

A propos of that...

Does the currently headless one's preference for reviewing budgets after they have been voted by legislatures make sense in the orderly sense of PI 11? - is it participative?

[harnett]

As regards your question, the answer is obviously "NO".  But the issue does require attention, given how palpably wrong these mission timings often are.  Of course the headless ones refuse to discuss the issue as they are not in the business of dictating (!), but we all know that ignoring their advice is at your own peril, so maybe the mission should be explicitly included in the budget calendar - time for a campaign?

[John Short]

Surely it should be Headless One rather than headless one?

[STONE]

Yes it should be,  and it might also be the Heedless One...

[STONE]

Time for a campaign - oh yes - we could even try  budget calendar "app" - are they android or cool and trendy?

[harnett]

And we could also track the movements of the Headless Ones!!!