BUDGETARY DEFICIT IN FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF 2001 - 3.6 BILLION KUNA

ZAGREB, June 12 (Hina) - Budgetary revenues in the first four months of 2001 amounted to 12.5 billion kuna (USD 1.45 billion) whereas expenses totalled 16.1 billion kuna (USD 1.87 billion), which resulted in a deficit of 3.6 billion kuna (USD 0.41 billion), the Finance Ministry reported. According to the Ministry's statistical report for May, the budgetary deficit and domestic and foreign debts were financed with a total of 5.5 billion kuna worth of domestic and 4.5 billion kuna worth of foreign revenues. In the first four months, 4.9 billion kuna worth of domestic debts and 1.5 billion kuna worth of foreign debts were repaid. The 12.5 billion-kuna-worth budgetary revenues in the first four months account for 25.2 percent or slightly more than one fourth of this year's planned revenues (49.7 billion kuna). On the other side, the 16.5 billion-kuna-worth expenses in the same period account for as many as 32.5 percent or almost one third of this year's expenses. According to the report, budgetary revenues in April amounted to 3.5 billion kuna or 14.6 percent more than in the same month last year. Budgetary expenses in April amounted to 3.8 billion kuna, which is 8.2 percent more than in the same month last year. The largest part of the April expenses - 1.29 billion kuna or 33.5 percent of all expenses - referred to current transfers, mostly to extra- budgetary funds. Those transfers were 33.2 percent higher than in April last year. Almost the same amount, 1.26 billion kuna, was paid in April for the salaries of budgetary users. Although this is a 0.7 percent increase compared to April last year, a total of 5.1 billion kuna was paid to budgetary users in the first four months of this year, which is 2.7 percent less than in the same period last year. (hina) sb rml