Budget, speedily approved by specialised committees, with minimum concessions from ruling MPs
The Parliament's budget-finance committees passed the draft laws
on the state budget and social security budget in just two days,
accepting only minimum concessions compared to the 11,000
amendments submitted by the opposition.
The fast pace at which the committees drew up the budget reports is
setting the stage for the Parliament to give its final vote this
week.
Thus, MPs will not be forced to return from the winter holidays to
continue discussions on the budget, a restrictive one according to
the opposition and public sector employees.
The budget draft objectives include taking fiscal consolidation
further, cutting the budgetary gap to 4.4% in GDP from 6.8% in GDP
this year, and further reducing current expenditures, as Finance
Minister Gheorghe IalomiĊ£ianu himself announced.
The opposition's amendments regarding micro-enterprises'
possibility of opting for a tax of 3% in turnover and the criteria
for sum allocation to local authorities were accepted by the ruling
coalition, according to Mediafax.