Draft budget for 2010 reflects present situation Mihail Manoli

Independent expert Mihail Manoli, the former Minister of Finance, said the draft state budget for next year adopted by the Government shows the present state of affairs influenced by the economic and financial crisis, Info-Prim Neo reports. “The budget deficit is higher than the previous years, but we face a crisis and we must cope with the present situation,” Mihail Manoli said. “The Government planned a number of measures, including the rise in excise duties and other taxes and collection of revenues from privatization. The largest state companies must be included in the privatization program, but the privatization should benefit all the people not certain groups closer to the power as earlier. “Many do not agree with the fact that money is transferred to the districts from the state budget. But this is because the districts do not have their own incomes and this is not the Government's fault as the basis were laid during 2001-2002,” Mihail Manoli said. The draft budget law for 2010 will be discussed by the Parliament on December 18. Representatives of the Opposition party, the PCRM, say the draft budget law is presented with great delay. Under the law, the Ministry of Finance must submit the draft state budget law to the Government for examination at the start of September. The new authorities said it was impossible because the previous executive did not work on the draft budget, while the Filat Government was constituted on September 25. According to the draft budget approved by the Government, the budget deficit will be over 4 billion lei or 21.4% of the expenditure. The revenues will be by about 2 billion lei larger than this year, while the expenditure – by over 1 billion lei. The revenues next year would be 15.19 billion lei, while the spending – 19.32 billion lei.