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On Friday, 28 September, when Andris Vilks, Minister for Finance, handed over the briefcase containing the draft state budget for 2013, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, emphasised that this state budget attests to our financial independence because it was not drafted under supervision of international lenders. It is also the first budget of growth since the crisis began because we have achieved growth indicators which international lenders expected Latvia to reach only in 2017.
“Economic growth and development can be ensured if people are willing to give birth to and raise their children in our state and if people are willing to work here, live here and think about the future of our state together,” said the Speaker.
Āboltiņa emphasised that this is the first year when the briefcase with the budget has been received by the Saeima on Open Door Day; that symbolically demonstrates the principle of openness and transparency of the parliament.
The Speaker then handed over the briefcase with the draft state budget to Jānis Reirs, Chairman of the Budget and Finance (Taxation) Committee, who said that finally this was the first year since the crisis began when during the drafting of the budget there was no need to consider budget cuts and it was possible to allocate funding for national priorities. “With regard to the state budget for 2013, the most heated debates will be devoted to demography, which entails something more than merely allowances. Demography entails also support to workers, health care, education and security; these areas can expect a significant increase in funding,” said Reirs.
Andris Vilks stressed that in comparison to the previous four years, the government drafted this state budget independently without direct involvement of international lenders. “This budget undoubtedly can be associated with growth; it reflects economic growth, tax cuts and an increase in welfare. This budget should foster even more rapid economic growth in Latvia during the next year and ensure that the budget deficit is among the lowest in the European Union,” noted Vilks.
It is expected that the Saeima will consider the draft state budget in the first reading on 22 October and adopt it in the final reading on 15 November.
In addition to the hard copy, the state budget was submitted to the Saeima also electronically on a flash drive. The Speaker of the Saeima explained that as a resource-saving measure, there are currently 66 MPs who have switched from paper to electronic documents, and there is no need to make hard copies of the draft budget for them.
Saeima Press Service