Lukashenka “turned” 2009 budget into a deficit-free

By his decree Alyaksandr Lukashenka set a limit to the deficit of the country budget in 2009 at 0.0 thousand Belarusian rubles.

Thus, the country’s budget’s income and expenses sums are set as equal.

As we have informed, the draft budget of 2009 approved by the “council of republic” on October 22, 2008 set the budget deficit at 2.8 trillion rubles.

The republican budget could have been altered due cut in expenditures on bureaucrats, army and power agencies, stated the former head of the National Bank Professor Stanislau Bahdankevich in an interview to the Charter’97 press-centre.

As said by Stanislau Bahdankevich, with deficit-free budget the money supply should stabilize. But I do not understand in which way he has dome that, as the deficit of the country budget in 2009 had been already set as 2.8 trillion rubles. According to the Constitution, the budget is adopted by the parliament, and the president cannot change it by his decree. We have a “surprising” country: Constitution does not work!” Stanislau Bahdankevich said with surprise.

Besides, as said by the professor, it is not clear at all, at what expense this Lukashenka’s decree would be implemented.

“If he would cut expenses for the army and defence and law enforcement agencies, for instance, it would be simply wonderful. If Alyaksandr Lukashenka many times stated that “we have the strongest army in Europe” and if we are not going to attack anybody, expenses for it could be cut,” he explained.

Stanislau Bahdankevich also noted that Alyaksandr Lukashenka can change the budget by decreasing his salary for instance.

“If he is going to decrease his salary, salary of prime minister, government, cut down expenses for maintenance of the KGB, I would welcome that,” the former head of the National Bank underlined.