Skopje, 14 October 2024 (MIA) - The Government will discuss the 2025 draft budget either this Wednesday or towards the end of the month, Minister of Finance Gordana Dimitrieska Kochoska said on Monday. 

According to the Minister, the outlines of the budget are within the framework of the Fiscal Strategy, and education and healthcare will have priority for wage increases.

"The legal deadline is November 15 at the latest. We are preparing for a government session on Wednesday, but I can't promise anything, because there are still some minor details we need to review with one of the ministers, so if we don't make it by this Wednesday, and seeing that next week I will be away, it will be sometime at the end of the month that the budget will be discussed at a government session. In terms of the outlines, we are generally moving within the Fiscal Strategy, so the outlines of the budget for 2025 are within the framework of what the official strategy contains," Dimitrieska Kochoska noted. 

As regards wage increases, she said the most disadvantaged institutions that have received the least attention in the past period were those in education and healthcare, adding that the focus is there.

"In the area of ​​education, we already have information about the agreement we reached. We now expect to decide on the direction in terms of healthcare as well. When I talk about healthcare, I would like to point out that it is about the medical-technical staff. I exclude doctors because they have had several raises in the past. I'm not saying they might not be covered, but our focus is more on technical services and nurses," the Minister told reporters. 

According to her, if revenue collection continues as in the past hundred days, it may be possible to talk about wage increases in other sectors as well.

"I cannot say anything in advance. We are now looking at the figures. If we continue with this kind of revenue collection, we can talk about many different things in the future including more increases, but this is the situation at this moment. If we have managed such revenue collection in the Budget in 100 days alone, you can imagine what are the expectations for 2025, with the introduction of the e-invoice. Much, much more, so in 2026, 2027 we may be able to talk about increase within other sectors," said Dimitrieska Kochoska. 

Photo/video: MIA