The Supreme Council has begun work on the law-in-draft "On the republican budget for 2025"

The law-in-draft "On the republican budget for 2025" has been registered in the Supreme Council. It was developed and sent to parliament by the Government. According to the norms of the legislation, the law-in-draft on the budget must now be reviewed by all parliamentary committees and issue their conclusions after which the law-in-draft and the results of all reviews will be summarized by the specialized Committee on Economic Policy, Budget and Finance, which must prepare a conclusion and a list of amendments only then the draft budget for the next year is submitted to the plenary session of the Supreme Council for adoption in the first reading. The republican budget for the next year must be adopted in three readings before the New Year. The deputy corps will consider in the first reading the main characteristics of the consolidated, republican and local budgets. This is the total size, volume of income and expenditure, deficit and sources of covering the budget deficit, total amounts of expenditure on targeted state programs and on the program of voters' orders. The draft law "On the Budget of the Unified State Social Insurance Fund of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic for 2025" is being considered in the first reading simultaneously with the adoption of the law on the republican budget. According to the presented draft, the main financial document in 2025 will retain its social orientation. The share of socially protected items makes up the largest part - almost 70% in the expenditure part of the 2025 budget. The state will continue to finance the spheres of education, healthcare, social protection. The population is guaranteed timely and full payment of wages, scholarships, pensions, benefits. Expenditures on these budget items have been increased due to the increase in salaries for teachers and doctors in the first half of 2024. Utility tariffs for the population will remain at the same level in 2025. The state will continue to compensate natural monopoly enterprises for the difference between tariffs for the population and economically justified tariffs for housing and communal services. 280 million rubles have been allocated in the budget for this.

In general, the total amount of expenses is planned to be reduced by 25% compared to the current year due to the reduction in budget capacity. The volume of financing for other expenses not classified as socially protected will be reduced basically. It is planned to reduce both the parameters of local budgets and the financing of a number of state target programs. This was discussed on September 19 at a meeting with the PMR President, where the law-in-draft on the budget for 2025 was presented by the Minister of Finance of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic Alena Ruskevich. Chairman of the Supreme Council Alexander Korshunov inquired about the need to reduce funding for a number of state target programs. The speaker noted that laws on the implementation of each state program are adopted in order to solve a problem in a specific area. For example, to treat patients with hepatitis B and C or to develop a land reclamation complex. Approximately 20 state target programs have been adopted and are currently in effect in Pridnestrovie. Some are financed in the amount of 100%, and for some, funding is allocated in the amount of 30-60% of the funds stipulated by law year after year. The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky requested detailed and comprehensive information on each state target program – on financing, implementation and planned indicators. The budget for 2025 plans about 40 million rubles for the implementation of state target programs in the field of healthcare, 18 million will be allocated to finance target state programs in the field of social policy, 61 residential premises will be purchased for orphans at the same time. The total funding for target budget funds is 657 million rubles. The size of the Capital Investment Fund for next year is 250 million rubles, the Road Fund - 274 million rubles. Alexander Korshunov and the heads of parliamentary committees in the course of the extended meeting with the President drew the attention of the Government and the head of state to the traditional practice of introducing a large number of amendments to the law on the republican budget during the year. The adopted law was amended 33 times, while this year, 15 legislations on changes to the budget have already been submitted to parliament last year, for example. The speaker of parliament noted that such an approach to legislative work is ineffective, since the budget law is a paradigm of the financial year. The participants of the meeting discussed the list of budget funds prohibited from redistribution during the financial year.

The development of a new law on wages for public sector employees was discussed among the issues initiated by the Supreme Council in the course of the extended meeting. The President gave the Supreme Council and the Government the order to improve the legislation on wages in January. Representatives of the legislative and executive authorities reported that both the Supreme Council and the Government have some developments at this stage. The draft of the new law on wages, developed by parliamentarians, will be submitted to the Supreme Council as a legislative initiative. Work on it will continue jointly with the Government and heads of state administrations.

Photos by the press service of the PMR President