CHAPTER 8. Financial Matters
Article 111
No tax or duty shall be imposed except by law; and they shall not include the kinds of fees which the Treasury charges for the services rendered by Government departments to individuals or in consideration of benefits accruing to them from the State domain. In imposing taxes, the Government shall apply the principle of progressive taxation, along with the attainment of equality and social justice; and provided that such shall not exceed the capacity of tax-payers and the State’s need for funds.
Article 112
1.
The General Budget draft law and the Governmental Units Budgets draft law shall be submitted to the Parliament at least one month before the beginning of the fiscal year for their consideration in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. The same provisions related to the Budget in this Constitution shall apply to them. The Government shall submit the final accounts by the end of six months from the end of the previous fiscal year.
- Voting on the General Budget shall take place chapter by chapter.
- No sum in the Expenditure Section of the General Budget may be transferred from one chapter to another except by a law.
- The Parliament, when debating the General Budget draft law or the provisional laws relating thereto, may reduce the expenditures in the chapters in accordance with what it considers to be consistent with the public interest; it may not increase those expenditures neither by amendment nor by the proposal submitted separately. However, it may, after the close of the debate, propose laws for the creation of new expenditures.
- During the debate of the General Budget, no proposal shall be accepted which is submitted for the abrogation of an existing tax or the imposition of a new tax or the amendment, by increase or decrease, of established taxes which affects what is prescribed by the financial laws in force; and no proposal shall be accepted for amending expenditures or revenues fixed by contracts.
- The State’s revenues and expenditures estimated for each fiscal year shall be approved by the General Budget Law; however, the said Law may provide for the allocation of specified sums for more than one year.
Article 113
If it is not possible to enact the General Budget Law prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year, expenditure shall continue by monthly appropriations at the rate of 1/12 for each month of the previous year’s budget.
Article 114
The Council of Ministers may, with the approval of the King, establish regulations for the control of the appropriation and expenditure of the public funds and the organisation of Government stores.
Article 115
All receipts from taxes and other State’s revenues should be paid into the Treasury and shall be included in the State budget unless otherwise provided by law. No part of the funds of the Treasury shall be appropriated and expended for any purpose whatsoever except by a law.
Article 116
The Civil List of the King shall be paid from the general revenue and shall be specified in the General Budget Law.
Article 117
Every concession given for granting any right related to the exploitation of mines, minerals or public utilities should be sanctioned by a law.
Article 118
No person shall be exempt from the payment of taxes and duties in other than the circumstances prescribed by the law.
Article 119
An Audit Bureau shall be set up by a law for controlling the State’s revenue, expenses and the ways of their expenditure:
- The Audit Bureau shall submit to the Senate and the House of Representatives a general report containing the irregularities committed, the liability resultant therefrom, its opinions and comments at the beginning of every ordinary session and whenever either House requests it to do so.
- The law shall provide for the immunity of the Head of the Audit Bureau.
