Parliament will discuss on Thursday draft of amendments to the 2011 state budget, envisaging increase in revenues from current GEL 6.304 billion to GEL 6.476 billion and expenditures – from current GEL 5.966 billion to GEL 6.020 billion.
According to the draft, tax revenues this year will be increased by GEL 125 million. According to the government increase of revenues was possible thanks to higher economic growth of 6% than initially forecasted 5.5%. The nominal GDP is set at GEL 23.8 billion this year.
Most of the government ministries will see funding increase this year, as a result of the proposed amendments.
The Defense Ministry will receive additional GEL 44.6 million; as a result, the defense funding will amount GEL 704.6 million, instead of initially planned GEL 660 million this year. It will be the first upward change in the defense funding since 2008. Defense funding picked in 2008 to over GEL 1.5 billion; it went down to GEL 869.6 million in 2009 and to GEL 728 million in 2010. According to the draft of the 2012 state budget, the Defense Ministry’s funding is set at GEL 675 million.
Other ministries, which will see funding increase, are:
- Ministry Economy and Sustainable Development – GEL 160.5 million (current funding – GEL 106.3 million);
- Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources – GEL 248.8 million (current funding – GEL 216 million);
- Finance Ministry – GEL 228.8 million (current funding – GEL 204.7 million);
- Ministry of Agriculture – GEL 87 million (current funding – GEL 79.9 million);
- Ministry of Culture and Protection of Monuments – GEL 60.9 million (current funding – GEL 55.6 million);
- Ministry in charge of prison system – GEL 112.1 million (current funding – GEL 106.5 million);
- Ministry of Education and Science – GEL 558 million (current funding – GEL 555 million);
- Ministry in charge of internally displaced persons – GEL 43.7 million (current funding – GEL 40.7 million);
- Justice Ministry – GEL 74.4 million (current funding – GEL 70.7 million);
- Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs – GEL 39.9 million (current funding – GEL 35 million);
- Interior Ministry – GEL 568.2 million (current funding – GEL 566 million);
- Ministry of Environment Protection – GEL 14.4 million (current funding – GEL 13.9 million);
- Office of the State Minister for Diaspora Issues – GEL 838 thousand (current funding – GEL 788 thousand).
The funding was decreased for only two ministries this year – Healthcare Ministry, whose funding will go down from GEL 1.692 billion to GEL 1.685 billion and Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, down from GEL 879.1 million to GEL 818.6 million.
The funding envisaged for development projects in the region will more than double to GEL 327.8 million, according to the draft.
2011 state budget has been amended twice – in April and March.