Moldovan MPs approve state budget for 2024

Chisinau, 7 December /MOLDPRES/ - The MPs approved the state budget for 2024 in the first reading today. The document provides for increased allocations for children, salaries higher by 15 per cent for teachers and the doubling of the scholarships for the students from the faculties with pedagogical profile.    

Thus, starting from 1 January 2024, the childbirth allowance provided will be increased up to 20,000 lei and the salaries of the teachers from Moldova will increase by 15 per cent. Also, the authorities will increase the financial allocations for the programme, Protection of family and child, and money will be earmarked for the development of villages and cities, so that the families benefit from better living conditions in Moldova, and the children – from opportunities of development.    

According to the draft budget, priority remain the policies of backing the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with over 197 million lei allocated for financing a string of programmes. The goal of the draft is the sustainable development of SMEs, their extension all over the country, especially in rural regions, creation of new jobs, more active involvement of young people and women.    

Another priority is the continuous development of the transports and infrastructure system. On this purpose, financial means worth 4,036.5 lei are planned in the budget, of which 1,393.9 million lei represent money from external sources and 2,505.6 million lei is planned for the repair and maintenance of national and local roads.    

Allocations amounting to 1,600 million lei are scheduled in the 2024 budget for the subsidization of the agricultural sector, rural development and integration of the national agro-industrial sector in the European economy. Also, 322.1 million lei will be allocated for energy efficiency, 601.5 million lei are meant for the National Fund of Regional and Local Development, as well as 175 million lei – for the promotion of policies in the environmental protection sector.      

The draft law provides for a 4.4-per cent increase in the revenues of the national public budget against the volume specified for 2023 and will amount to 107,172 million lei. The expenses will stand at 122,962 million lei and will be by 1.5 per cent higher against the 2023 year.  

At the same time, the state budget revenues are estimated at 66,632 million lei, up by 1.3 per cent against this year and the expenses - at 82,222 million lei, down by 2.2 per cent. The state budget deficit will be within the limit of 15,790 million lei or 4.6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The state debt forecast for late 2024 will stand at 125,525.6 million lei, of which 64.5 per cent will be the state foreign debt and 35.5 per cent – the state internal debt. The debt’s share in GDP will not exceed 37 per cent. The GDP will grow by 3.5 per cent against this year, reaching 342.1 billion lei. A 3.5-per cent rate of economy’s growth is expected, in the conditions of the improvement of the situation in the region.