Minister and opposition debate about budget
08/10/2012 17:55
80th Anniversary of Albania’s Liberation gathers political leaders at the Martyrs’ Cemetery ceremony 29/11 15:54
The Chairman of the Supreme State Audit, Bujar Leskaj, proposed the Parliament to limit the public debt by Constitution.
“Within two years we should take measures for Constitutional amends, clearly setting the public debt limit at 60% of the GDB”, Leskaj declared.
The opposition also demanded a decrease of the debt and for this suggested that the government should use the privatization money. But the government seems to have other plans.
We are the aware of the revenues as a ‘bingo’, as a majority representative said for the ‘Albpetrol’ privatization tender. We should use them with responsibility and keep in mind that the 60% debt level should not be a debt limit for the Albanian economy”, declared the Socialist MP, Arben Malaj.
“Claiming to reduce the deficit in a time where the domestic and foreign demand is falling, means going towards a certain crisis”, declared the Minister of Finances, Ridvan Bode.
Arben Ahmetaj declared that last year’s budget did not increase only the official debt, but also the hidden one that the government owes to the private sector.
“The reimbursement value for businesses is 8 billion, and the income tax goes to 4 billion, which brings the debt towards the certified business to 12 billion. If we add the unpaid bills, the debt goes up to 200 million EUR”, Ahmetaj underlined.
“If we tell to someone that he has 10 billion ALL for investments, then he cannot contract works for 30 billion, and this is outside the capacities and possibilities that the Ministry of Finances might have for the local and central administration”, Bode declared.
The opposition thinks that last year’s budget was a failure that is proved by the reduced income. “You must compare it with the economic growth of the other countries in the region, and you’ll see that they have a negative balance,” Bode continued.
“13.6 billion ALL that are missing in the budget, after a review of minus 32 billion ALL, is a number that really doesn’t make you pass”, declared the Socialist MP Mimi Kodheli.
According to the government, the total revenues in the state budget fell with 25.1% of the national GDP, which is the lowest point in the last six years.
Top Channel
