IMF money wasted on wages and interests
Autor:
Liviu Chiru
16.02.2010
The government managed to keep the budget deficit within the
bounds agreed with the IMF, at 7.2% of the Gross Domestic Product,
but that was only because of temporary cost-cutting measures taken
in the fourth quarter of last year. The adjustment of the public
system has been postponed for 2010.
The state spent 193 billion RON (45.5 billion euros) last
year, an increase of 1.4% in RON compared with 2008, but this money
failed to give a boost to the economy, given that it was primarily
used to pay wages and pensions rather than investments.
On the other hand, budget revenues fell by 5.4% to 156.6
billion RON (36.8 billion euros), with the most serious decline
witnessed by VAT collection, as a result of the consumer spending
slump.
The state collected merely 34.3 billion RON from VAT, which
remains the main stream of revenue for the budget, 16% less than in
2008.
Personnel spending ended 2009 with a 2.4% increase to 46.7 billion RON, as a result of the significant wage and pension raises granted in the autumn of 2008. On the other hand, capital expenditures (investments i.e.) stood at merely 23.2 billion RON (5.4 billion euros), 13% lower in RON compared with 2008.