Nezavisne novine: The Government of the RS has decided to reduce the salaries by 10% to the Prime Minister, ministers and officials of all the Government institutions, has yesterday been announced by Anton Kasipović, the Vice President of the Government. This reduction has been planned in accordance with the Draft budget for 2009, but reduction of salaries will start from November already. "Next year will be a year of savings. By the new measures on reduction of salaries, the Government plans to save between two and three million KM on a year level", Kasipović has said. The Government of the RS has on Wednesday adopted the Draft budget of the RS for the next year in a sum of 1.670.000.000 KM, which is an increase by 95 million or 6% in relation on the rebalance of this year.
Draft Strategy for Suppressing the Corruption has been adopted
The Government of the RS has directed to the ministries to deliver in 14 days the proposals and suggestions on the Draft Strategy for suppressing the corruption (which has been adopted yesterday) to the Cabinet of the Prime Minister Milorad Dodik.
"We believe we will offer an excellent document from which would originate the special action plans for practical implementation of the strategy for suppressing the corruption in the RS", Anton Kasipović has said.
From the Ministry of Finances it has been announced then that the Government has during the creation of budget respected the earlier confirmed goals that the public expenditure needs to be kept below 40% in gross domestic product, and the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund, have been considered as well. In the draft budget, the increase of salaries from September next year has only been planned for the elementary and middle education, by 5%. For all other budget users, reduction of 10% or the rest of salaries at the same level, has been predicted. The Vice President of the Government has announced that even the analysis on possibility of reducing the number of the Government officials by 10%, will be done.
"The Government will to the management of public companies and communities of local administration recommend doing the analysis in order to confirm the possibilities for reduction of salaries and number of employed", Kasipović has said. Kasipović has explained that it is still not known how many people could remain without job and it will be known after the analysis has been implemented.
"The Government obligates all budget users to save 1% in relation to the budget frame in the first three quarters, so those funds can be directed to the social sphere in the fourth quarter", Kasipović has said. He added that Ranko Škrbić, Minister of Health and Social Protection of the RS, will talk to the representatives of the union in the health care on redefining the Collective contract on salaries. Aleksandar Džombić, Minister of Finances of the RS, has said that the Proposal Law on Changes and Amendments to the Law on Contributions and the Proposal Law on Changes and Amendments to the Law on Tax on Income, which foresee the transition of the budget of contribution from net to gross principle, have been adopted at the yesterday’s session. Instead of the previous 42% and two tax rates of 10 and 15%, the contributions and taxes of 38% on gross salary, or the contributions of 28% and a singular tax rate on the income of 10%, have been predicted.