GOVT SENDS BILLS ON PENSIONS, LABOUR INTO PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

ZAGREB, June 30 (Hina) - Some 2.14 billion kuna will have to be secured next year and 22.7 billion kuna will have to be secured over a period of ten years for eliminating discrepancies between pension allowances acquired under equal conditions but in different periods of time. At a session held on Friday, the Government sent a bill regulating this issue into the parliamentary procedure. Funds for this purpose will be secured from the budget. Supporting the bill, Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac said a whole set of rights, benefits and privileges would have to be reduced next year. It will not be possible to make the ends meet with budgetary funds without drastic cuts in the state administration and the number of employees. Some budgetary revenues will have to be increased and a successful privatisation is a precondition for carrying out all tasks, Crkvenac said. During today's debate, government members also commented on media claims regarding high pension allowances of parliamentary representatives, which are regulated with the Law on the Rights and Obligations of Parliamentary Representatives. Government members emphasised the Government had not motioned that bill, which, they agreed, contained some mistakes. Let that be discussed by the Sabor, Prime Minister Ivica Racan said. Along with this bill, the Government also sent into the parliamentary procedure changes to the Labour Law, which, among other things, would confirm that the non-payment of salaries is a justified reason for staging a strike. Also sent into the parliamentary procedure was a bill on changes to the Bankruptcy Law; changes to the Privatisation Law, which, among other things, grants an 80-percent discount to small shareholders, have been sent into the second reading. The changes would also refer to the shares which have not been paid yet. A bill on stimulating investments has been sent into the second reading. In comparison to the first reading, some censuses for tax privileges have been reduced. This means that privileges would refer to investments worth at least four million kuna (currently six million), whereas investments worth more than 60 million kuna (currently 100 million kuna) would be exempt from taxation for a period of ten years. In line with obligations for admission to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Government sent to the Parliament a package of changes to laws (such as the Customs Law, the Law on Value Added Tax and financing of local administration and self-government), which refer to tax exemption for films. Changes to the Law on Areas of Special State Concern have been sent into the parliamentary procedure as well. The Government today decided to adopt a decision which would enable the citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina to cross the border with Croatia with their IDs on condition that Bosnia-Herzegovina accepts an agreement on cooperation, hand-over and take-over of persons who have crossed the border illegally. Interior Minister Sime Lucin warned about the problem of illegal border crossings, mostly by Iranians, Kurds and, recently, the Chinese. The number of illegal border crossings in the first three months of this year increased by 50 percent, and in the last three months it tripled. In June alone, 908 foreign nationals illegally entered Croatia from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lucin said. (hina) jn rml