A round-up of public finance news stories from the Middle East and Africa you might have missed this week (April 29–May 3).
Lapid proposes to increase Israel's deficit to 4.9%
Israel's finance minister, Yair Lapid, has submitted a proposal to the government to raise the 2013 deficit target to 4.9% from 3% of GDP, adding an additional NIS19bn to the annual deficit (The Jerusalem Post).
US$553m draft budget presented to Liberia's legislature
The Executive Branch of the Liberian government through the Ministry of Finance has officially presented the draft national budget for the fiscal year 2013/2014 to the 53rd Legislature (AllAfrica.com).
Zambian accountants ‘should help stamp out corruption'
Acting Zambian finance minister Bob Sichinga has urged accountants in Zambia to work together with the government in fighting corruption at all levels (Times of Zambia).
Egypt's budget deficit reaches EGP175.9bn over last nine months
Egypt’s budget deficit jumped during the period from July 2012 to March 2013, reaching EGP175.9bn, or 10.1% of gross domestic product, compared with EGP113bn during the same period the previous year, at a time when spending increased at a rate faster than government revenues (Daily News Egypt).
Uganda cuts SHS300bn from health to fund defence
The government has slashed budget allocations to several ministries and referral hospitals to raise SHS300bn to pay for supplementary expenditure in State House and Defence (Daily Monitor).
