MINSK, 18 December (BelTA) – Belarus will run a Br1.7 billion budget surplus in line with the 2019 budget bill, Chairperson of the Standing Commission on Budget and Finance at the House of Representatives Lyudmila Dobrynina told reporters on 18 December, BelTA has learned.
The MP informed that the budget revenues will make up Br23.7 billion, expenditures Br22 billion. Thus, the surplus is estimated at Br1.7 billion.
“The 2019 budget has its peculiarities. First of all, it will have a bigger social focus,” she noted. The salary in the public sector will increase. The budget provides for heavier social spending.
The consistent efforts to raise salaries will be continued throughout 2019. “A task was set to increase the average salary in the public sector in line with the country's development program, so that the salary in the public sector will make up 80% of the country's average salary by the end of 2019,” Lyudmila Dobrynina noted.
Family capital will keep increasing at the rate of 10%. This means that families with many children can further count on support from the state. Apart from that, the spending on government housing programs will be expanded to help people in need of better housing to buy new homes. “The number one task is to support families with many children, reduce the waiting list and, first and foremost, increase targeted subsidies,” the MP noted.
Approaches to financing the real economic sector will be changed. Subsidies for this sector will be cut down by 10%. This money will be rechanneled into social and infrastructure projects. “The focus will be made on improving the public sector performance. In the previous years a lot was done to upgrade several industries. The efforts are bearing fruit. The 2019 budget provides for support for the export and purchase of cutting-edge equipment,” the MP noted.
Debt settlement is another important thing. In line with the budget bill, Br5.7 billion will be spent on repaying domestic and external debts.
