Govt denies salary hiccups

GOVERNMENT has denied media claims that it is unable to meet its salary and other financial obligations for May.

The reaction comes after a weekly paper reported that Cabinet secretary George Simataa earlier this month wrote to permanent secretaries, telling them to ensure that the ministries' bank accounts reflected positive balances, otherwise civil servants would not be paid their May salaries. In a statement released yesterday, finance minister Calle Schlettwein explained that all civil servants' salaries are paid through the government payroll system, and that all accounting officers responsible for central government budget votes must align public expenditure with their approved budget allocations. Schlettwein said when an accounting officer requests funds in excess of what had been granted by a monthly treasury authorisation warrant (TAW), the request will be referred back to the accounting officer to realign the request within the limitations of the TAW. He said the communication from the office of the secretary to Cabinet to accounting officers was simply intended to remind them of this important requirement, and is entirely consistent with the principles of the sound management of public funds.