MINSK, 26 February (BelTA) – This year's state budget has been put together with a deficit approaching Br4 billion, BelTA learned from Belarusian Finance Minister Yuri Seliverstov on 26 February.
The official said: “The deficit of the approved budget for this year is expected to be close to Br4 billion. Leftovers from previous years will be one of the main sources to cover this deficit. Back then there were a lot of questions as to whether we needed a surplus budget or whether we had to increase spending and channel the money into routine funding. Nevertheless, the safety net we'd put together for a reason as you can see will be used to cover the deficit.”
The finance minister noted that the state budget remains socially oriented. “More than half of the expenses are traditionally social ones. The tasks set during the Belarusian People's Congress will be unconditionally accomplished. During today's session of the [Finance Ministry] board we have to discuss what measures we need to implement in order to accomplish that. The fiscal policy is one of the main tools for accomplishing all the social and economic development tasks,” he stressed.
