DAR ES SALAAM, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The government of Tanzania plans to spend 33.1 trillion Tanzanian shillings (about 14.16 billion U.S. dollars) in the 2019/2020 financial year, up from the 32.5 trillion Tanzanian shillings it targeted to spend in 2017/2018, the Minister for Finance and Planning, Philip Mpango, said on Tuesday.
Mpango said most of the forthcoming budget will be spent on improving infrastructure, including railways, roads and rural electrification.
Mpango was presenting the National Development Plan and the budget ceiling for 2019/2020 to Members of Parliament in the capital Dodoma.
"The focus of the next budget would remain on building an industrial economy that will stimulate employment and social welfare," said the minister.
He said the money was expected to be collected from the tax and non-tax revenues, local government authorities, aid and grants from development partners as well as local and external concessional loans.
"We will insist on proper utilization of the government's money by investing in public infrastructure and social services in a bid to expedite development," he said.
He added that the government was equally committed to intensifying the war against graft and embezzlement of public funds as well as improving investment environment in the country.
Mpango will table a final budget to parliament in June.
Tanzania's economy is forecast to grow at 7.3 percent in 2019, from an estimated 7.2 percent last year.
