Tajikistan to spend more on social sphere
By Abdul Kerimkhanov
Nearly half of budget expenditures in the coming year will be directed to the social sphere, Asia-Plus reported.
The government is studying a draft law on the state budget of Tajikistan for 2019 prepared by the Ministry of Finance.
The draft state budget of Tajikistan for 2019, after studying by the standing budget commission under the government, will be sent for adoption to the lower house of the country's parliament in November, the government said. Next year, the budget, as in previous years, will maintain its social character: it is planned to allocate about 10.4 billion somoni ($ 1.1 billion) to social sectors, which makes almost 44 percent of budget expenditures.
The revenue part of the state budget of Tajikistan for 2019 is planned in the amount of about 23.4 billion somoni ($ 2.5 billion). This is almost 2.4 billion somoni ($ 255 million) more than the approved budget revenues for 2018, according to the Ministry of Finance.
The increase in the size of the revenue side is planned to be ensured, in particular, by increasing the volume of taxes and non-tax revenues. The financial department also hopes for grants from international financial institutions to support the budget in the amount of 200 million somoni ($ 21 million).
In addition, the Ministry of Finance expects to replenish the budget by increasing the volume of special funds of budgetary institutions (by 65 million somoni = $ 7 million), as well as through the implementation of state investment projects in the amount of 798 million somoni ($ 85 million).
Revenues from attracting foreign loans and grants for the implementation of state investment projects are planned next year for a total of more than 4 billion somoni ($ 425 million).
Financing of the fuel and energy complex from all sources in the coming year is provided in the amount of more than 4.2 billion somoni (more than $ 425 million).
About 725 million somoni ($ 77 million) will be sent to meet the needs of the agricultural industry, and 618 million somoni ($ 65.7 million) will be sent to transport and communications sphere.
In 2019, 228 million somoni ($ 24 million) will be spent on servicing domestic debt, and over 1.2 billion somoni ($ 127 million) will go on servicing foreign debt.
The state budget of 2018 was adopted by the lower house of parliament on November 15 last year. The revenue part of the budget of the current year is planned at a rate of just over 21 billion somoni ($ 2.2 billion), while the expenditure part being more than 21.3 billion somoni (more than $ 2.2 billion).
The maximum size of the budget deficit was projected at 0.5 pct of GDP - 334 million somoni ($ 35 million).
About half of the total budget expenditures - more than 10 billion somoni ($ 1 billion) - were planned to be spent on social sectors.
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