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Will Authorities Economize On Education And Health Care?

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Will Authorities Economize On Education And Health Care?
ULADZIMIR AMARYN
PHOTO: BELTA.BY

It is planned to cut state budget expenditures in Belarus for the year 2016 by almost $664 million.

It is planned to cut budget expenditures in Belarus in 2016 by 7-8%, has said Finance Minister of Belarus Uladzimir Amaryn today.

“It is planned to cut country’s budget expenses by 7-8%. It is not so little. Speaking simply, it is almost one month volume of expenses,” – BelTA quotes Amaryn as saying.

As said by him, the draft decree, which is to specify the budget figures, is supposed to be elaborated in June. Uladzimir Amaryn has also informed that social expenditures would not be touched.

“Nonpriority expenses are to be optimized, correlation with local budgets adjusted, donations to them cut. Cutting budget expenses is to be carried out proceeding from an average oil price of $35-40 per barrel,” – the Finance Minister said.

Belarusian officials have already practiced unexpected “cuts” of budget expenses.

Charter97.org has taken a view at how the authorities have been reducing budget expenses in 2009, when Lukashenka ordered the Finance Ministry to cut expenses at 20%.

Firstly, officials reduced growth of salaries in the public sector. Secondly, capital expenses of concerns, plants, institutes and other state-run organisations were reduced by 50%. At that moment all of them were to forget about their desire to buy new furniture, computers, other durable goods.

Despite the fact that in 2009 officials also promised “to leave the social sphere alone,” expenses on financing state programmes, including social ones, were cut. Though health care and education belong to priority expenses spheres, the authorities had no scruples to “optimize” purchase of medical eqcuipment and medicines. They also economized on computers, visual propaganda, equipment for education process.

Expenses from state special purpose funds were cut seriously – road fund expenses were reduced by almost one fourth, and thus financing of infrastructure development in agritowns was limited. Several million dollars were taken from expenses on nature protection.

But what is interesting is that national defence, legal system and law-enforcement activities expenses were left untouched in 2009! It must be said, the authorities have never reported about reducing expenses on police. Even after the destructive crisis of 2011 Lukashenka was ready to “sacrifice” any expenses, but financing of police remained in the same volume and on the shoulders of tax-payers completely.

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