Budget Builder

You are drafting the FY 2023/24 budget for Kenya. Public debt is around 70% of GDP and roughly half of every shilling collected goes to service it. The Finance Bill is contested in parliament and on the streets. The IMF programme requires fiscal consolidation. Counties take an equitable share by law. Education and security are politically untouchable. You have KES 3.6 trillion to allocate.

You are drafting India’s Union Budget for FY 2023/24. Recovery from the pandemic is uneven. Capex is being pushed hard to crowd in private investment. Free foodgrain has been extended. State governments demand their share of central taxes. Defence is a fixed political priority given border tensions. Interest payments are the single largest line item.

You are at HM Treasury writing the 2023 budget. Energy prices have moderated but the cost-of-living crisis lingers. The NHS faces record waiting lists. The state pension triple lock is politically sacred. Debt interest has surged with Bank Rate at 5.25%. The OBR will mark your homework — fiscal rules require debt-to-GDP falling by year five.

You are drafting Brazil’s 2023 federal budget under the new Lula administration. The previous spending cap is being replaced by a new fiscal framework. Bolsa Família has been re-expanded. Pension spending consumes nearly half of mandatory outlays. Constitutional minimums for health and education must be respected. State and municipal transfers are largely formula-driven.

You are drafting Indonesia’s 2023 APBN. The post-pandemic recovery is solid; commodity prices have been kind. The energy subsidy bill exploded in 2022 when Pertamina absorbed global oil shocks and is being restructured. The new capital city, Nusantara, demands billions. Regional transfers to provinces and districts are large and formula-bound. The 20% education spending mandate is constitutional.