PARLIAMENT APPROVES AMENDMENTS TO 2020 BUDGET

On Friday, the parliament approved amendments to the law on the state budget for 2020 by votes of 59 deputies. The budget revenue will decrease by 649.5 million lei - to 37.2 billion lei (primarily due to the reduction in tax revenues from VAT on imported goods and grants from international organizations); expenditure - by 1.8 billion lei - to 53.2 billion lei (mainly due to a reduction in expenditures on projects with external financing).

The state budget deficit will be reduced by 1.2 billion lei - to 15.9 billion lei. By the end of the year, the state debt will amount to 75.6 billion lei, decreasing by 4.1% or 3.2 billion lei. External public debt will amount to 45.6 billion lei (down by 6.6%).

Speaker Zinaida Greceanii refused to put to a vote on the amendment proposed by Vice Speaker Alexandru Slusari to increase the fund for subsidizing agriculture by 400 million lei through redistribution of funds from the Good Roads project. The reason - the amendment did not receive government support.

The parliament approved in the second reading the amendments to the social insurance budgets (increasing the revenues by 232.7 million - to 24.5 billion lei), and compulsory health insurance (reducing the revenues by 78 million lei - to 8.5 billion) lei).