Ulaanbaatar
Ch.Khurelbaatar: No budget amendments will be made next year
Economy
Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/
Parliament approved the 2019 State Budget during its plenary meeting on
November 2. Minister of Finance Ch.Khurelbaatar made clarifications on that
matter.
- Has the draft bill on budget been approved as submitted by the Government?
- Total amount of budget revenue and expenditure have been approved as it was submitted by the Government. However, some amendments were made in the expenditure. For instance, the amount of funds on air pollution reduction has been cut. Additionally, MNT 20 billion was written off for installation of x-ray inspection equipment, CCTVs and creating an integrated information system at the border checkpoints.
- Information about MNT 5 billion budgeted for every member of the parliament has led to public debates?
- There are many problems that need to be addressed in all 76 constituencies. The MPs will spend the MNT 5 billion on addressing the pressing issues of the constituency. Some people are politicizing it as if the money was taken by the MPs.
- What measures have been taken to limit the inefficient spending this year?
- The current expenditures of government organizations were significantly reduced in 2016, 2017 as well as in 2018. It is planned to construct a number of schools and kindergartens next year. Therefore, only the expenditure for construction of schools and kindergartens has been raised in the budget.
- Will it be necessary to make budget amendments in 2019?
- No budget amendments were made in 2018. We are planning to maintain the budget discipline and not to amend the budget in the future.
- The budget revenue estimates are considered very high. Do you believe that it is achievable?
- We should work using all possibilities. Nothing is 100 percent risk free, for sure.
- Will the rules and regulations for loans provided by the SME Development Fund be revised?
- Over the last two years, we have been working to spend the SME Development Fund funds properly and make it profitable. The taxpayer’s money shouldn’t be wasted. There are many issues in the Government special funds that should be inspected and arranged. Public involvement in the operations of SME Development Fund and control should be improved. The Government didn’t allocate money for SME fund in the 2018 and 2019 state budgets, but the Parliament budgeted MNT 48 billion.
- What measures are being taken by the Government to stop fuel price
increase?
- The fuel prices in the world are falling. Recently, crude oil has fallen to USD 63 per barrel from USD 72. The government
annulled the excise tax on fuels except AI98 and diesel.
