Tajikistan’s budget last year received more than 781 million somoni (equivalent to some 100 million U.S. dollars) less than it was originally planned, First Deputy Finance Minister, Jamshed Karimzoda, told reporters in Dushanbe on January 27.
The country’s budget for 2016 was projected to stand at 18.281 billion somoni. Meanwhile, the budget received 17.5 billion somoni last year, which was 94.7 percent of the target, Karimzoda noted.
According to him, the arrears have resulted from decreasing external trade turnover of the country.
“Last year, the budget received 3.8 billion somoni from tax payments, which was 90.1 percent of the target or 421 million somoni less” the deputy minister said.
Tax debts reportedly increased by 115.1 million somoni in eleven months to December 1, 2016, reaching 818 million somoni.
Karimzoda further added that the most incorrigible tax defaulters were large enterprises – their tax debts totaled about 400 million somoni.
Recall, the country’s budget for 2017 was projected to stand at more than 19.6 billion somoni.
The budget indicators reflect the economic and social development of the country. Social spending will account for more than 40 percent budget allocations, with 3.5 billion somoni earmarked for public education alone.
The budget projects expenditure of more than 1.4 billion somoni in the health sector and 822 million somoni in the cultural sector.
The budget earmarks more than 3.3 billion somoni for energy sector, 583 million somoni for agriculture, hunting and fish farming, and 702 million somoni for environmental protection, forestry and housing and communal services.
The budget projects expenditure of 137 million somoni in the construction and industrial sectors and nearly 1.4 billion somoni in the transport and infrastructure sector.
Expenditures on public management personnel and government agencies are projected to stand at more than 1.1 billion somoni.
The 2017 budget deficit is projected to amount to 0.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
