Ulaanbaatar, August 12, 2025 /MONTSAME/. Prime Minister Zandanshatar Gombojav was briefed by relevant ministers on August 11, 2025, on the development of the 2026 State Budget and the progress of the public opinion poll on the budget draft.

Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister and Head of the Government Office Davaadalai Batsuuri presented the preliminary results from the public opinion poll on the 2026 budget priorities, submitted via the E-Mongolia platform and the Government’s 11-11 call center. The Head of the Government Office Davaadalai reported that, as of today, more than 154,000 citizens have participated in the poll, with the highest number of votes focused on issues related to education, health, and electricity and heating.

Notably, in the public opinion poll question regarding policies to improve budget efficiency, 18,395 citizens supported reducing investment, while 102,623 citizens favored lowering tax rates. A significant majority of citizens expressed support for allocating the 2026 budget toward key sectors such as healthcare, education, electricity, and heating. In contrast, a majority of respondents favored reducing budget allocations for sectors including social welfare, culture, sports, tourism, and road construction.

Citizens also provided input on a range of policy questions, such as prioritizing budget efficiency measures, identifying investment areas to avoid in 2026, and proposing directions for tax reform. Minister of Finance of Mongolia Javkhlan Bold then presented an update on the preparation of the 2026 budget draft, noting that it is being developed in line with the Prime Minister’s guidance to prioritize human development and expand funding for education.

The process of collecting and consolidating budget proposals from General Managers of the Budget is 80 percent complete. To date, 1,232 investment project proposals have been submitted for consideration in the 2026 budget. While the total investment need is estimated at MNT 11.3 trillion, prioritization will be carried out within the available budget of 9.6 trillion. Ministers discussed potential approaches to increase investment and ensure adequate funding.

Prime Minister Zandanshatar Gombojav cited international research indicating that transparent public engagement in budget drafting promotes reductions in corruption, equitable investment allocation, and enhanced human development. He urged all sector ministers to act proactively to increase budget revenues and overcome economic difficulties with minimal impact.

At the outset of the meeting, the relevant ministers were instructed to urgently formulate and implement policy measures aimed at budgetary reform, with particular emphasis on the education and health sectors.