BRATISLAVA, March 4, (WEBNOVINY) — Minister of Finance Ivan Miklos proudly says that savings in the public administration have been reflected in the state budget already after the first two months of this year. Other expenditures for the state’s operation, i.e. expenditures excluding compulsory transfers, for example to the social security provider Socialna Poistovna aimed at covering the deficit caused by the second pension pillar, shrank 11 percent y/y. Miklos stated at a press conference on Friday that at stake were mostly wage savings and savings on procured goods and services.
As for the Finance Ministry, Miklos mentioned reduction of overemployment when 64 people had to go from the ministry, which accounts for 10 percent of all employees. Customs administration laid off 400 people. Miklos said that the ministry registered substantial savings in procurement of goods and services.
Miklos also slammed former Minister of Finance Jan Pociatek accusing him of ineffective and uneconomic handling of public finances. He named procurement of car servicing as an example. “What would you call a person who pays for something ten times more than the actual price is? I would say that the person is a fool. And what would you call a person who is handling public finances in the very same manner? His name is Jan Pociatek,“ said Miklos. Under Pociatek, the price of car servicing exceeded EUR 100 per hour while the current ministry tendered the price of EUR 12.5 per hour in an electronic auction.
After the first two months of this year, the deficit of the state budget shrank by half from the same period a year ago. According to data published by the Finance Ministry the state budget gap reached EUR 344.1 million at the end of February, down 55.9 percent y/y. Behind this development was a 20.3-percent y/y increase in total revenues to EUR 1.758 billion and also a y/y drop in total expenditures by 6.2 percent to EUR 2.102 billion.
SITA