Consolidated budget deficit increases up to 24.3 billion lei, 2.88pct of GDP

Consolidated budget deficit went up to 24.3 billion lei, 2.88 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) respectively, 2.3 times higher compared with the deficit of 10.2 billion lei (1.21 per cent of the GDP) recorded in the first 11 months of last year, said Ministry of Public Finance (MFP) on Friday. 

Compared with 2016, the general consolidated budget deficit increased by approximately 32.5%, from 18.304 billion lei (2.40% of the GDP) up to 24.3 billion lei, last year. 

"The execution of the general consolidated budget, based on the operative execution data, in 2017, concluded with a deficit of 24.3 billion lei, 2.88 of the GDP respectively, below the annual target of 2.96 per cent of the GDP," specified MFP. 

According to the same source, the general consolidated budget revenues totalled 251.8 billion lei, 29.9 per cent of the GDP, compared with 29.4 per cent of the GDP in 2016, and the revenues as percentage recorded a 12.5 increase in nominal terms compared with the previous year. 

Moreover, revenues collected by the main four budget components of the general consolidated budget, the state budget respectively, the state social security budget, the unemployment budget, the health budget, collected by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) represented 100.3 per cent of the programme of revenues managed by this Tax Authority. 

Last year, the general consolidated budget expenditures totalled 276.1 billion lei, which means a growth in nominal terms by 14 per cent compared with 2016, while expenditures on personnel increased by 22 per cent. 

Moreover, expenditures on goods and services with state subsidies dropped 0.7 per cent, and 6.1 per cent respectively, compared with 2016, and expenditures on social security increased 13.1 per cent, "mainly influenced by the increase of 5.25 per cent in the pension point on January 1 2017, up to 917.5 lei, and by 9 per cent since July 1 20017, up to 1,000 lei, as well as measures approved in 2016 that contributed to the increase in the social expenditures; the increase and modifications of the ways to establish the monthly allowance for child support and insertion incentives." 

According to MFP data, expenditures on investments, which include capital expenses, as well as those attached to the development programmes financed through internal and external sources accounted for 26.7 billion lei, 3.2 per cent of the GDP respectively.

Agerpres