Skopje, 17 July 2024 (MIA) – A total of 4.1 billion denars for salaries and 5 billion denars for pensions will be secured after revising the budget, announced Finance Minister Gordana Dimitrieska Kochoska.

Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, she said that total revenues in the budget are planned at 318 billion 150 million denars, up by 8.22 billion. Tax revenues are expected to rise. Expenditures are planned at 362 billion 816 million denars, an increase of 19,178 billion denars.

The initially projected GDP is unattainable, the Minister stressed. An inflation of 3.5% is foreseen and net salary will increase by 13 percent. 

According to Dimitrieska Kochoska, the budget revision secures 4.1 billion denars for salaries, including 1.1 billion for block grants that weren’t planned in the main budget. Some of the institutions have secured salaries only until June, the Minister stressed. 

“Drafting the budget’s revision, we were guided by the assumption how much finances can be redistributed from items recording poor implementation. The redistribution secured 20 billion denars and additional 11 billion is planned to pay for overdue obligations and obligations regulated by law, but that weren’t planned. It resulted in the budgetary deficit rising by 11,156 million denars,” said Dimitrieska Kochoska.

The country from 2024 until 2028 should pay 1.800 billion euros in interest rates.

Opening the news conference, Dimitrieska Kochoska emphasized that the state of the budget has exceeded the government’s expectations.

“I’ve promised I’ll always be sincere with the citizens. We came across a situation suggesting the state is in chaos and in debts, a wish list instead of development. The economy is clinically dead,” stated the Finance Minister. 

At the news conference, Dimitrieska Kochoska revealed that the damage to the budget is estimated at over 32 billion denars.

Also, there are many overdue obligations that haven’t been reported.

“I expect the Basic Public Prosecution to take actions over the state of affairs we discovered,” she said. 

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