Bill on budget 2023 passes second reading in Belarusian Parliament

MINSK, 20 December (BelTA) - The bill “On national budget 2023” passed the second reading at a sitting of the ninth session of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus of the seventh convocation on 7 December, BelTA has learned.

The bill was submitted to the House of Representatives by the Council of Ministers and passed the first reading on 7 December.

Chairwoman of the Standing Budget and Finance Commission of the House of Representatives Lyudmila Nizhevich presented the bill. The MP noted that the budget policy in 2023 will be aimed at solving the following tasks: ensuring a balance between the national and local budgets within the limits of available revenues and sources of financing the budget deficit; strengthening the social focus of expenditures, including through the measures to improve the quality of life, the welfare of public sector employees and large families; concentrating budget funds in the areas that ensure the progress towards the strategic goals of the country's social and economic development envisaged in the social and economic development program for the five-year period; optimizing the structure of public debt, including partial fulfillment of obligations to repay public debt from non-borrowed sources.

“Revenues under the draft national budget 2023 are expected to amount to Br33.4 billion, up 24.6% against the estimates of revenues for the current year, Lyudmila Nizhevich noted. “Expenditures will make up Br36.5 billion, or up by 9.9% as against the figures expected in 2022. The draft national budget 2023 runs a deficit of Br3.173 billion.”