NGOR, LFI, LFR, LR, LLLLLL….(Par Cheikh Tidiane BÂ)
Night had already settled over the Medina. At this hour, the neighborhood shifted its rhythm without truly falling asleep. In the alleyways, the last shopkeepers were putting away their wares, the market women were finishing their day, a few taxis noisily made their way through the streets, and the benches in front of the houses were filling up. People would put the world to rights over a cup of tea, sometimes with far more certainty than actual facts.
In Bangou Diaxlé, our main square, it was something else entirely. Here, no question was too serious to end in a joke, and no joke was too lighthearted not to become a political debate.
As on almost every night, the regulars were there.
Ndiaye RP, first of all. RP stands for "professional complainer". He complained about everything and everyone: the Government, the town hall, young people, old people, the price of bread, traffic jams, the heat and even the rain when it had the audacity to fall at the wrong time.
Beside him sat Adja, our veteran politician. She had lived through every regime, known every coalition, and probably supported, at one time or another, almost every side. Her face unfortunately bore the marks of skin bleaching, practiced with remarkable fidelity since the age of fifteen. On this issue too, she refused any change of power.
Ngor arrived, sat down heavily and said:
— Honestly, I don't understand anything in this country anymore! From morning till night: LFI, LFR, finance law… Now even in Petersen, people are talking about LFR!
He turned towards me.
— Sheikh, I always thought the budget was like a big coffer at the Presidency. You put the money in and the President distributes it to the ministers. It was much simpler that way!
— Ngor, who told you the budget was in a safe?
— Nobody. I've been thinking.
Ndiaye RP rolled his eyes.
— That's precisely what worries me.
Laughter erupted.
— Okay, Ngor. Let's take your case. It's October 1st. Your monthly salary is 500,000 francs.
— That's a good start.
— But your boss is having difficulties. He's telling you he'll pay you as he receives payments. You, however, are still planning to budget 500,000 francs for October.
— Of course. That's my salary!
— Now your expenses: house, food, water, electricity, transport, children…
— Tea!
— Tea too. All that comes to 450,000 francs. But you also want to buy a motorcycle for 250,000.
Ngor calculated.
— So, 700,000 in expenses against 500,000 in revenue. I'm short 200,000.
— That's your budget deficit.
— No problem. I'll borrow 200,000 from Ndiaye RP.
Ndiaye RP jumps:
— Why must Ngor's deficit become Ndiaye's debt?
"Exactly!" I replied. "The deficit is what you're lacking. The loan allows you to finance it, but it will have to be repaid."
Ngor nodded.
— So far, I've got it under control.
— What you just did on October 1st is your initial budget: what you plan to receive, what you plan to spend, and how you intend to finance what's missing. For the State, this is, simply put, the Initial Finance Law, the LFI.
Adja intervened:
— So, the LFI is when we make plans before the problems start?
— Let's just say that's a very personal way of summarizing it.
“But there’s an important difference,” I added. “For the State, the Government can’t just write its budget in isolation and start spending. The draft budget is submitted to the National Assembly, which votes on it.”
Ngor seemed surprised.
— So even the President can't just open his safe and say, "You take 100 billion; you take 50"?
— First, your safe still doesn't exist. Second, state revenues and expenditures are authorized within the framework set by the finance law passed by the National Assembly.
Ndiaye RP smiles:
— Ngor, they just took away your safe, your key and now your padlock!
In my example, we had reached October 20th.
— Your boss paid you as you went along. In total, you received 350,000 francs. And now he tells you: "Ngor, I won't be able to pay you anything more for October."
Ngor jumped.
— Out of my 500,000? The motorcycle is cancelled!
— First measure.
— I'm cutting back on some expenses.
— Second measure.
— And if that's not enough, I'll borrow more.
— There you have it. The situation on October 20th is no longer what you predicted on the 1st. You need to revise your budget. For the State, when forecasts and balances need to be modified during the year, we use an amending finance law, the LFR.
— And she too goes to the Assembly?
— Of course. It's a finance bill. So it's subject to a vote in the National Assembly.
Ngor thought for a moment, then summarized:
— So the LFI is Ngor on October 1st, when he still thinks he'll receive his 500,000. The LFR is Ngor on October 20th, when his boss explains the reality to him.
- So !
Adja raised her hand:
— And then, it seems there's a regulation law?
— Of course, Adja!
— That's what I said!
— No. At the end of the period, we no longer make projections. We look at what actually happened: how much Ngor actually received, how much he actually spent, what he borrowed, what he ultimately achieved. For the State, this is the logic of the budget execution law, which allows us to record and finalize the results of budget implementation. And again, this is a law submitted to the National Assembly.
Ngor counted on his fingers:
— So, LFI: we make a provision and the Assembly votes. LFR: we amend it and the Assembly votes. Settlement Law: we look at what actually happened and the Assembly votes again.
— You understand.
Ngor looked at me, almost disappointed.
— So, my large presidential safe…
— It does not exist.
— And the President doesn't distribute the money as he pleases?
— No. The budget is not a chest full of money. It consists mainly of revenue forecasts and spending authorizations.
A silence fell.
Then Ndiaye RP looked at Ngor:
— In short, they just took away your safe, your key, and the President standing in front of the safe. All you have left is your motorcycle, which you can no longer buy!
Adja nodded gravely:
— Luckily, there's still the regulating law.
I sighed.
—Settlement, Adja...settlement!
Bangou Diaxlé burst out laughing.
Ngor had finally understood the laws of finance.
For the motorcycle, however, even the State's LFR will not be able to help him… especially since, for the moment, nobody yet knows its fate.
CHEIKH TIDIANE BÂ
Commentaires (13)
Merci
beaucoup de sénégalais croient vraiment que voter un budget veut dire mettre de l'argent dans un compte ... même parmi ceux qui ont faits des études supérieures : "Le budget est déjà voté ...."
Au Sénégal les grandes gueules sont ceux qui devraient raser les murs.
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