ZAGREB, Sept 30 (Hina) - The Croatian national Sabor's House of Representatives concluded Thursday's work by discussions on a report on the execution of the state budget in the first half of 1999 and on the work of pension and social
insurance funds in the last year. The 42nd session of the lower house will continue on Friday morning. A picture from the report on the first six months is somewhat darker than the real situation due to the revision of the budget in June, said Branko Stulic, an assistant to Finance Minister, presenting the report on the budget's execution. According to the report, during the first half of 1999, 23.8 billion kuna (3.2 billion US dollars) was obtained for the state budget, and it was 45.02 percent out of 52.8 billion kuna (7.2 bullion dollars) planned before the revision. Criticising why this important topic should be discussed in the late night before few MPs in the
ZAGREB, Sept 30 (Hina) - The Croatian national Sabor's House of
Representatives concluded Thursday's work by discussions on a
report on the execution of the state budget in the first half of 1999
and on the work of pension and social insurance funds in the last
year. The 42nd session of the lower house will continue on Friday
morning.
A picture from the report on the first six months is somewhat darker
than the real situation due to the revision of the budget in June,
said Branko Stulic, an assistant to Finance Minister, presenting
the report on the budget's execution. According to the report,
during the first half of 1999, 23.8 billion kuna (3.2 billion US
dollars) was obtained for the state budget, and it was 45.02 percent
out of 52.8 billion kuna (7.2 bullion dollars) planned before the
revision.
Criticising why this important topic should be discussed in the
late night before few MPs in the Sabor's room, Ante Tukic of the
Liberal Party (LS) and Marin Jurjevic of the Social and Democratic
Party (SDP) warned that insufficient means had poured into the
budget. If this is to continue, we shall see a deficit of 12.2
billion kuna (1.6 billion dollars) in the end of this year. Does it
mean that the state treasury will go into bankruptcy, wondered
Jurjevic.
They pointed to the problem of the financial rehabilitation of
firms through the budget, and the amounts of state collateral.
Tukic assessed that the budgetary hole was larger than those 5.6
billion kuna due to some three billion kuna of collateral.
We planned to fill the budget by the sale of a package of shares of
the Croatian Telecommunications (HT), but we can see how it is going
on. Croatia osiguranje company, INA (oil company) is on the sale,
and how are we going to patch the budget later, asked Marinko
Filipovic of the Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS). We should rather
go to the election as soon as possible, as this is getting us
nowhere, he added.
During a brief discussion on operations of the pension insurance
fund, MPs pointed to the problem of collection of contributions,
and inappropriate management of shares in the fund's portfolio.
Sabor's deputies also warned about the ratio of the number of
retirees to the number of employees.
(hina) ms