​TRANSNISTRIA PRESIDENT SUGGESTS RESOLVING BUDGET PROBLEMS AT SHERIFF’S EXPENSE

Transnistrian president Yevgeny Shevchuk proposed to the Supreme Soviet (SS) to quickly consider its legislative initiative “On social and state partnership with business entities”, which means that the Transnistria budget to receive US$250 million from “Sheriff”.

It is argued by the “unprecedented privileges and preferences granted to the Sheriff from 1997 to 2011”.

According to Shevchuk’s estimates, the amount of benefits from the state exceeded US$1 billion, due to the status of special importer; another US$135 million - discounts of energy resources from 2006 to 2015. On this basis, Shevchuk proposes to Sheriff to transfer 25% of the received benefits from the state for implementation of state social and economic tasks.

The author of the initiative does not explain how to do this. However, if Sheriff agrees to return the money in the crisis period, the author suggests using them to increase the minimum pension by 20% from January 1, 2017, and salaries of public sector employees by 10%; to restore payments of people’s guaranteed deposits; to pay the state’s accounts payable of medicines, food products, maintenance of orphanages and boarding schools; to replenish foreign exchange reserves of the Transnistria central bank; to buy housing for the war veterans who protected the PMR, for other preferential categories of citizens and public sector employees, military personnel; to establish a reserve for the budget deficit financing on socially protected issues in 2017.

The author also suggests creating of the “Fund for the PMR economic development” at Sheriff’s expenses. It is assumed that the fund will provide financial support to small and medium size businesses, according to the developed and approved programs of the government.

The bill proposes to organizations, whose profitability of sales was at the level of over 10% following the results of 2015-2016, to transfer to this fund the obtained profit for the implementation of state programs on support of small and medium size businesses.

The explanatory note to the bill stated that its adoption “won’t demand expenses from the budget”.

Infotag’s dossier: During Shevchuk’s residency from 2011, Transnistria faced severe economic monetary and financial crisis. Many people put the blame on Shevchuk, however, he does not agree with this, saying that Sheriff and its supporting parliamentary majority are to be blamed in the crisis. Shevchuk intends to run for a second term in the presidential election on December 11.