Several members of the People's Assembly criticized the government statement on the draft state budget for 2020
Many members of the People's Assembly criticized the government statement on the draft state budget for 2020, as some considered that the figures contained in it are not correct and fictitious, while others described the budget as deflationary, others described it as inflationary, in addition to sharp criticism on the issue of increasing the deficit significantly. The lack of a tax system that achieves justice for citizens.
The People's Assembly allocated its session yesterday to discuss the financial statement for next year's budget presented by Finance Minister Mamoun Hamdan.
The interventions of some members were sharp and long, some of which took more than a third of an hour.
In the details of the figures, the appropriations for the 2020 budget project were estimated at 4000 billion Syrian pounds, compared to 3882 billion pounds in the 2019 budget, an increase of 118 billion pounds, an increase of 3.04 percent.
The current operations' appropriations were estimated at LL 2,700 billion, compared to LL 2,782 billion in the 2019 budget, down about 3 percent, due to the expected deficit of oil derivatives during 2020, following the losses of fuel company.
According to the government's financial statement, the total estimated expenditures for social support were not reflected in the 2020 budget project. The estimated support expenditures related only to the support of the Agricultural Production Fund, the National Social Aid Fund, the support of rationing and the support of oil derivatives were shown. As for electricity subsidies, estimated at around 711 billion in 2020, it will be addressed in accordance with the laws of financial entanglement.
The decrease in the estimated subsidies for oil derivatives is due to the decrease in the loss of fuel company as a result of the low prices received from the oil marketing office for both light and heavy oil and imported with a fixed exchange rate of 435 lira, an increase in the quantity of oil derivatives produced locally, and a decrease in the quantity of imported oil derivatives, and lower prices for 2019, especially Oil, fuel and liquid gas, in addition to raising the price of gasoline to 425 pounds per liter and determine the quantities of gasoline sold at the subsidized price per month, and determine the quantities sold to citizens of diesel at subsidized prices, and the distribution of gas cylinders on the card For smart.
According to the statement, all these reasons in addition to the rationalization of consumption in fuel and gas as a result of smart card applications led to reduced consumption and rationalization of subsidies, which resulted in a decrease in the deficit of oil derivatives, and therefore