Desires and Opportunities

The agenda of the next meeting of the Committee of the Supreme Council for State Regional Policy – is a law-in-draft on the budget of Pridnestrovie for 2018. The Document projected the First Deputy Minister of Finance Dmitry Nedelkov. According to him, the project has undergone insignificant changes in comparison with the current year budget. Unfortunately, no new sources of income have appeared, and the expenses planned for the next year will be somewhat smaller.

The Government proposes to create a capital investment fund. It is planned to form it at the expense of 57.5% of incoming customs duties and 1% of the unified social tax (previously these allocations were spent on the acquisition of medical equipment).

According to Deputy Finance Minister Dmitry Nedelkov, the amount of financing of the state program of capital investments has steadily decreased every year. In the last five years, its financing was planned at the level of 5 million rubles per year, in fact, 2 million rubles were allocated. And even then they went to liquidate debts to contractors for previously completed construction and installation and repair work. The lack of funding for this state program ultimately led to the unsatisfactory state of many social infrastructure facilities in the cities and villages of the republic.

When discussing this proposal, the head of the parliamentary committee for state regional policy, Oleg Vasilaty noted that earlier the funds from payment of import customs duties were sent to the budget and went for the implementation of socially protected articles.

The members of the Committee also questioned the government's intention to allocate 500,000 rubles for an external audit of the budget process. The lawmakers considered that the Accounts Chamber cope with this task, and the saved funds can be used to eliminate the budget deficit.

8 million rubles in the future is supposed to be used to pay off the accounts payable under the state program of drinking water supply in rural settlements. It was formed in 2013. Next year, the state also intends to return a portion of the debt (40 million rubles) to life-sustaining enterprises so that they can carry out measures to repair networks and equipment in order to ensure stable supply of gas, heat, electricity, and water to consumers.

As well as this year, 30% of the Road funds and 20% of the Ecological funds will be used to fulfill the state's social obligations to pay citizens pensions and salaries. Redirection of another 10% of the remaining funds in the Road Fund from the republican roads to rural roads will be new for the draft budget 2018. By the way, this issue was discussed by deputies of the Supreme Council from different regions and cities during regular meetings with the President.

The financing of the state program "Textbook" will be concentrated exclusively for the production of textbooks in the Moldovan and Ukrainian languages. Several pilot schools plan to implement a pilot project on normative and per capita financing in 2018. The government also intends to form an accumulation fund for the timely payment of salaries and vacation teachers. Their peak falls on the summer period. Under current legislation, an employee must receive leave on the last working day before vacation.

During the discussion, the deputies asked representatives of the government: are all socially protected articles provided with sources of income? Will there be a rise in wages? Is there a fund for the implementation of the voters' orders in the draft republican budget for the next year?

Participants in the meeting of the parliamentary committee for state regional policy spoke in favor of adopting the law-in-draft "On the Republican Budget for 2018" in the first reading. It is assumed that by the second reading the deputies of the Committee will prepare a number of amendments.

The head of the parliamentary committee for state regional policy commented on the discussion of the draft budget 2018.