Representatives of the Party “Coalition for Unity and Wellbeing” (CUB) said the 2024 state budget reveals a serious problem for the budget system and for citizens’ expectations. First of all, the costs of the state apparatus are excessive. Compared with 2021, these costs grew 200-300 times on account of the pays of employees of the existing ministries.
“The number of units rose by 39% at the State Chancellery, by 82% at the three ministries separated from the former Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, with personnel consisting of 284 units, as opposed to only 156 units in the old Ministry. The number of units at the former Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection, which is now divided into two ministries, grew by 79%. This exorbitant rise in the costs for the state apparatus should ve stopped. Why? Because we cannot afford such an investment that didn’t prove its opportunity. It is disproportionate to the incomes generated by the economy,” CUB chairman Igor Munteanu stated in a news conference at IPN.
“We should discuss the agencies and organizations that appear as night butterflies, a kind of clientele organizations for the current ruling party. I evidently refer to “Patriot”. “Patriot” Agency will spend 20 million lei. It doesn’t seem so much against other planned costs, but this is anyway an amount that is not justified given the declining incomes in the economy. Initially, they said that this “Patriot” will be financed with foreign funds, but we ultimately see that the funding for this was incorporated into the budget for 2024,” stated the party’s leader.
According to him, it is not at all clear why the State Chancellery should manage a reserve and intervention fund of 400 million lei when the budget is austere. Such finds in the budgeting process do nothing but camouflage the governments’ intention to use this money later for its needs.
The CUB chairman noted that it is not clear why the voluntary amalgamation fund for 2024 was set at 150 million lei. The earmarking of such an amount is an absolutely hasted move. “The mayors, local councilors only took up their duties. Some of them haven’t been yet confirmed to posts. How do you think they will start an amalgamation process in 2024 at a time when they only accommodate and start their job? There is no logic here. But it’s clear that the amalgamation will last in time and this money should go rather to cover particular urgent needs,” stated Igor Munteanu.
According to him, the budget of 2024 is an austerity budget oriented to the past. “We believe the costs for the state administration should be much smaller. We plead for the orientation and investing of the money in development, in economic growth, in realizing the creativity and innovation potential and less in state bureaucracy that should yet prove its efficiently and optimize costs,” said the CUB leader.
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