Oslobođenje: With 39 votes for, 13 against and two reserved, the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the FBiH has yesterday by the urgent procedure adopted the proposal changes and amendments of budget of the FBiH for 2009.
If the Government's proposal gets accepted next Tuesday by the House of Representatives, this year's budget will be increased by 305 million KM, as much as are the unpaid obligations of the FBiH in last year, and budget, instead of 1.6 billion KM, will be 1.9 billion KM.
It will be painful
By yesterday’s decision the House of Peoples has approved the Federal Government to use (for covering the deficit) 120 million KM from succession, and 154 million KM from commercial credit (by Unicredit, Raiffaisen, Intesa Sanpaulo and NLB Tuzlanska banka) and to borrow the rest from the Directorate of highways of the FBiH and the Civil Protection Administration. In harmonization with the approved proposal changes of the Law on budget execution for 2009., paying of the last year's deficit will be priority in payments from this year's budget.
According to the Federal Minister of Finance, Vjekoslav Bevanda, "first" rebalance comes at the end of April. In that purpose, the Government has frozen all budget transfers on 45 days.
– That has been done because we have started to make a real rebalance of budget, whose goal is harmonization of expenditures with revenues. It will be painful – Bevanda has said.
He has informed the delegates that BiH has started negotiations with the International Monetary Fund on stand by engagement and on the intention of the Federal Government to "replace" the credit by the funds from engagement. He has called on savings and stimulating of sectors which bring new values and keep working positions.
Cutting of expenditures
Saša Magazinović has said that the FBiH is the first one in region which increases its budget by a rebalance, while Bevanda has replied that the FBiH is the first one to adopt the smaller budget in region. Sead Čaušević has criticized the Government because it did not inform on reserves of budget and how to use them. Mira Ljubijankić has said that the Government's proposal reminds of fulfilling of someone's unrealistic wishes. Zoran Budimić has supported the rebalance, by saying that the agriculturists in his canton have seeded 30% of land less because they wait for the Government's stimulations.
– The Government did not offer a strategy on how to avoid the similar situation in this part of year in next year – has been said by Ivo Komšić, who has called on thematic session on analysis of condition in economy without which the budget cannot be planned.
– We are the witnesses that only economy, which fills the budget, does not threat by strike, but those who are on the budget, strike – he has added.
Svetozar Pudarić has compared the Government's proposal with a demand of drunken person to prolong his/her driver license, "that a drunken person gives us a ride for two years more". He has warned that BiH can receive from the stand by engagement 600 million Euros, but that it will mean cutting of public spending in the FBiH by 35%, which implies changes of tens of laws and abolishing as many rights.