Events

Belarus president wants next year’s performance targets revised upwards

MINSK, 19 September (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has ordered a revision of the package of the next year’s forecast documents the government presented on 19 September, BelTA learned from Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Rumas after the government conference hosted by the head of state.

In particular, participants of the conference discussed the draft social and economic development forecast, the draft budget, and the draft main monetary management guidelines for the year 2020.

“The head of state believes the government’s plans for the year 2020 are insufficiently intensive. The package of documents has been sent for revision,” Sergei Rumas said.

Now the government has to revise its approaches fast because the head of state would like the current parliament to read and pass the draft central state budget and the main monetary management guidelines. “The government has literally two or three weeks to fix the shortcomings and once again submit the package of documents for consideration of the president,” Sergei Rumas said. “I think together with government agencies we will take a critical look at the forecast figures and will make tighten them up. Respectively it will have an effect on the state budget. We may have to reduce its deficit… I can’t really say today.”

The government conference also reviewed economy performance since the beginning of the year. The president took a close interest in reasons behind reduced export and plans to fix it next year. According to the prime minister, export went down primarily due to lower sales of oil-related products. “We are talking about polluted oil and the tax maneuver, which has also had an effect on the work of our oil refineries. At the same time the end result – the balance of trade in goods and services – is positive. We had a surplus of over Br400 million in January-July,” Sergei Rumas pointed out.

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that the performance targets prompted and approved by the government last year have to be hit. This is why in the remaining months the government will make every effort to catch up with the projections, Sergei Rumas concluded.

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