PA dwells upon the 2013 state budget bill

DAMASCUS, (ST) _The People’s Assembly (PA) discussed on Sunday the Budget and Accounts Committee’s report on the bill of the state budget for the 2013 fiscal year.

Addressing the MPs, the Committee’s Chairman, Hussein Hassoun, said that the 2013 budget bill has been preparedwithin an exceptional conditions and challenges that negatively affected all its articles, particularly investments which are required to achieve economic and social development.

“In 2012, investment and current revenues reached up to SP520bln, while they decreased to SP450 bln in 2013. This would have negative effect on national economy and development process as whole,” said Hassoun.

He added that the government should focus on achieving stability and security, ensuring more job opportunities, improving citizens’ living standards, improving the infrastructure, and supporting the health and education sectors.

“The government’s plan to increase public spending, which hit SP1108bln instead of SP 952bln, reflects its interest in social factor as a firm strategy to implement financial policy that aims to achieve social justice in the society,” said Hassoun.

He noted that the government has allocated SP30bln for reconstructing public establishments and compositing citizens for damaged real-estates.

“The amount SP86 bln has been allocated as reserves for investment projects to be added to the budget of the public sector during the year if the allocated approbations are not sufficient for the projects,” said Hassoun.

The report

According to SANA, the report underscored the necessity to allocate approbations of Defense Ministry and security forces to protect national security.

It called for issuing a new expropriation law, combatting all forms of corruption at all levels to protect the homeland, completing blueprints for organizing illegal areas, adopting urgent procedures to confront embargo, and expanding permissions of Board of Directors of companies and institutes.

Other topics related to improving the living conditions of state workers and pensioners, drawing up standards and mechanism to market stores of public industrial companies, setting up an employment fund to replace social aiddistribution, and installing swage treatment stations in all provinces to protect water sources from pollution were also mentioned in the report.

On the other hand, The PA denounced the terrorist attack on the Interior Ministry which took place on Wednesday, claiming a number of lives including the MP Abdullah Kayrouz.

The PA referred the MPs’ written questions on different social and economic issues to the relevant authorities through the Cabinet.

BasmaQaddour