ZAGREB, Dec 17 (Hina) - The draft state budget for 1999 (amounting +to US$7.7 billion) is realistic, balanced and guarantees economic +and social stability, Croatian finance Minister Borislav Skegro +said at Thursday's session of the
Croatian National Sabor's House +of representatives.+ Commenting on a discussion by MPs of party benches, Skegro said +there is no budgetary item for which some MPs did not request a fund +increase, and a decrease by others.+ Skegro also commented on statements by MPs who held that the budget +was to increase at a higher rate than that of the Gross Domestic +Product.+ According to information of the Finance Ministry, the GDP amounts +to between $29 billion and $32.2 billion. These estimates, he said, +are based on revenues from the Value Added Tax.+ Skegro recalled claims by MPs made last year that the introduction +of the VAT would not yield more than US$1.9 billion.
ZAGREB, Dec 17 (Hina) - The draft state budget for 1999 (amounting
to US$7.7 billion) is realistic, balanced and guarantees economic
and social stability, Croatian finance Minister Borislav Skegro
said at Thursday's session of the Croatian National Sabor's House
of representatives.
Commenting on a discussion by MPs of party benches, Skegro said
there is no budgetary item for which some MPs did not request a fund
increase, and a decrease by others.
Skegro also commented on statements by MPs who held that the budget
was to increase at a higher rate than that of the Gross Domestic
Product.
According to information of the Finance Ministry, the GDP amounts
to between $29 billion and $32.2 billion. These estimates, he said,
are based on revenues from the Value Added Tax.
Skegro recalled claims by MPs made last year that the introduction
of the VAT would not yield more than US$1.9 billion. However, he
added, as of June, $2.4 billion have been collected, and the VAT
would make an 'inflow' of about US$3.2 billion this year.
The suggestion by the Croatian Peoples' Party and Istrian
Democratic Forum that the budget adoption be prolonged for next
March is unacceptable, Skegro said.
This motion is along the lines of claims that there is a crisis in
the state and such circumstances that not even a budget can be
adopted, he stressed.
(hina) lml jn