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Budget
AN ASSESSMENT OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE LEGISLATURE TO GOVERNMENT BUDGET UNDER THE FOURTH REPUBLIC: A STUDY OF THE NDC BETTER GHANA AGENDA PHASE I (2008- 2012)
Introduction
In almost all political systems, it is generally accepted that the executive has the primary role in developing an annual budget and presenting it to the legislature. The legislature has the right to review, debate, in some cases amend, and approve or reject the spending plan proposed by the executive. Within this broad framework, the actual workings of the budget process vary from nation to nation based on the constitution, laws, legislative rules of procedure, balance of political power, tradition, past experiences and expectations of the political actors and the people. The budget determines who gets what and when, provides funds to implement new initiatives, and often sets policy.

Budget
The budget is an important instrument of economic management. It is an intricate and complex process that is used as a tool of accountability and management and also an instrument of economic policy. The Budget as an operational document, spells out the cost and the nature of expected results. The budget is an important instrument of economic management because it is annual decisions taken in the budget process, both within and outside government relates to either an amount of stimulus or restrain to be exercised in the economy. It is also the standard by which the actual achievements of government and its departments are measured in a given time period.

The budget process is regulated by a set of laws that makes it mandatory for governments to prepare and execute national budgets according to set rules of procedure. The supreme law of the land as enshrined in the constitution sets out general principles for governance of Ghana, and it is from it that all other laws and regulations derive authority. The general principles in the supreme law are supplemented by other Acts, for example the Local

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