DUSHANBE, November 2, 2011, Asia-Plus – The lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of the Tajik parliament has approved the national budget for 2012. The finance minister said that the revenue part of the national budget for 2012 would stand at 10.16 billion somoni (equivalent to more than 2.1 billion U.S. dollars) and the expenditure part was expected to stand at 10.34 billion somoni (some 2.2 billion U.S. dollars).
A regular sitting of the third session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the fourth convocation, presided over by its chairman, Shukurjon Zuhurov, was held on November 2.
In his speech Finance Minister Safarali Najmiddinov said the revenue part of the state budget will get 10.16 billion somoni, which is 1.86 billion somoni more as compared with this year’s budget. The expenditure part of the budget will stand at 10.34 billion somoni, which is 1.75 billion more as compared with the budget for this year.
According to him, social spending will account for nearly 50 percent of budget allocations. “The budget projects expenditure of more than 5 billion somoni in education, health care and social protection,” Najmiddinov said.
The draft budget does not earmark funds for repairs to the administrative buildings and purchase of vehicles for public bodies, the minister noted.
“If we had approved all received proposals on making amendments to the national budget, we would have had to increase the revenue part up to 18 billion somoni, but this is impossible budget,” the minister said.
MP Shodi Shabdolov noted that the budget deficit amounted to 180 million somoni and asked the minister to name the most incorrigible defaulters.
Najmiddinov noted that as of October 1, 2011, tax debts amounted to more than 75 million somoni and the most incorrigible defaulter was the Barqi Tojik power holding. He added that by government’s decree the power holding would be restructured in the near future.
MP Muhiddin Kabiri raised the issue of granting tax privileges to a number of organizations. “Over the last four or five years we have exempted from paying some types of taxes five-star hotels that are under construction in Dushanbe,” said the parliamentarian. “Since when have they become strategic facilities?”
Najmiddinov noted that only Hyatt Regency Dushanbe, Serena Hotel Dushanbe and Ismoili Somoni had been exempted from paying some types of taxes.
MP Amirqul Azimov drew attention of parliamentarians and members of the government to the necessity of rational use of budgetary funds.
“Many officials, for example, have personal dining rooms, shower cubicles and rest rooms at their offices,” said Azimov, “All this is at the expense of the budget.” He also noted that provincial governors illegally had bodyguards and they were also paid from the budget.
Meanwhile, Juma Davlatov, State Advisor to the President for Legal Policy also President’s Permanent Representative to the Parliament, noted that a special commission was set up in 2009 and it had not revealed any personal shower cubicles or saunas at ministers’ offices. “Moreover, no one minister has bodyguards,” Davlatov stated.
Finance Minister Safarali Najmiddinov noted that a special working group had been set up to study changes in world’s economy. Besides, the stabilization fund has been set up in Tajikistan this year, he said.
