Gov. Benigno R. Fitial reported to the Legislature that the government stands to collect up to $169 million this coming fiscal year.
Of the amount, however, bond payments should be prioritized and an additional $1.7 million should be allocated to the Marianas Public Lands Trust, the investment arm of the Department of Public Lands, which lent the financially troubled Commonwealth Utilities Corp. $1.7 million as down payment for the generators it will rent from Aggreko.
This leaves the government $156.703 million to spend in FY 2009.
Of the total projected collections for FY 2009, more than $3.6 million should be transferred to other funds as mandated by different laws.
These include $1.4 million in cigarette excise taxes that will go to the tobacco control program; $1.8 million in 10 percent excise tax for solid waste management under Public Law 13-42; and $500,000 in deportation funds.
Over $7 million is allocated for different bond payments.
The House is scheduled to discuss this month specific budget appropriations for the different government agencies.
The CNMI government currently operates under the $163.5 million budget ceiling set in FY 2007.
