Nezavisne novine: SARAJEVO – Although in the budget of the FBiH, for the first three months of this year, around 260 million KM was gathered, which is by 14 per cent more than last year in the same period, the Federation of BiH is threatened by financial breakdown, warns minister of finances of the FBiH, Vjekoslav Bevanda.
He clarifies that money is lacking even for basic needs and that budget users warn that only for salaries, by the end of the year, they will lack 60 million KM.
“For the first three months of this year we have approved not even one program of spending. The money arrives in accordance with the budget plan, but the biggest problem is that from the last year we have not transferred planned 150 million KM. That is why in April we had deficit of around 18 million KM, and in May it is a disaster”, Bevanda pointed out and announced that Ministry of Finances is starting reconstruction of the budget of the FBiH next week. In this Ministry they claim that in April and May from the budget of the FBiH was spent around 30 million KM more than it was gathered, although none of the users of the budget money is spending more than planned.
Alija Behmen, former prime minister of the FBiH and deputy chairman of the Commission for fiscal policy within the Parliament of the FBiH, criticizes the authorities that they do not take care of the expenses.
“The money is coming, but expenses are badly planned and there is no fiscal sustainability”, says Behmen.
In the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank they do not want comment the situation related with the budget of the FBiH until the IMF mission completes a comprehensive analysis at the beginning of June.
According to the release from the Government of the FBiH, in the first three months of this year around 1.43 billion KM was gathered, or 17 per cent more than last year. Of that amount, to cantons was allocated 458 million or 13 per cent more than 2007, and to municipalities, 149 million KM or 32 per cent more. At the same time by around 19 per cent was increase of income of funds, so the Pension-Disability Insurance Institution of the FBiH received 290 million KM, the Health Insurance Fund of the FBiH 205 million KM, and for insurance from unemployment 27.5 million KM was gathered.