National Federation Party Leader and Opposition MP, Biman Prasad said he has prior commitments in the Western division and will not attend the Special Budget Forum organized by the Finance Ministry.
However Prasad said he has urged the government to seriously look at alleviating the plight of the people by reducing the cost of living.
Prasad has proposed to the Finance Minister, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum in a letter to consider a number of measures in the 2015 National Budget.
These measures include the reduction of VAT from 15 to 10 percent, the reduction of Import Duty on milk, cream, butter and yoghurt from 32 percent to zero, the reduction of Import Duty on lamb, potato, rice, sharps and flour to 5 percent, increase the Social Pension Allowance to $50 per month, introduce a means-tested scholarship within the Tertiary Loans and Scholarship Scheme to provide full scholarships for students from low income families who do not make the Toppers Scheme and to convert all loans for students from low income families that were taken this year to full scholarships.
Biman Prasad has also asked the government to restructure the grant allocation to primary and secondary schools to allow flexibility with a view to providing school lunches and stationary and to introduce the living wage in accordance with guidelines based on employment sectors.
The NFP also wants a special budgetary package for crop rehabilitation in the drought stricken areas of the Western and Northern divisions and the maritime region, introduce a minimum guaranteed price of $85 per tonne of cane and to provide sugarcane farmers with a subsidy of upto 50 percent for inputs such as fertilizer and weedicides.
SODELPA Leader, Ro Teimumu Kepa is yet to confirm on whether she will attend the Special Budget Forum.
