Dancila Gov't six-month stocktaking report: Budget revenues on the rise

State budget revenues in the first half of 2018 are 12 pct higher than in the similar period of the year before, Premier Viorica Danncila said on Monday, as she presented the government's six-month stocktaking report at the Victoria Palace.

"Total budget revenues: H1 2017 - 117.2 bln lei; H1 2018 - 132 bln lei. A 12 percent increase is noticeable in state budget revenues as of mid-2018 compared to the same period of 2017. Thus, almost 15 billion lei more entered state coffers in the first semester of the current year compared to the year before. (...) This surplus was spent to support growth in the population's incomes and higher public investment," Dancila said.

On the other hand, the Premier said income tax revenues have dropped from 14.8 billion lei in H1 2017 to 11.7 billion lei in H1 2018.

"This is due to the tax cut from 16 pct to 10 pct. (...) On the other hand, the transfer of the contributions from employer to the employee has funneled an extra 12.6 billion lei into the state coffers, [as figures increased] from 34.2 billion lei in the first semester of 2017 to 46.8 billion lei in the first semester of 2018," the Premier added.

Whereas in December 2017 the absorption rate for EU funds was 16 pct, in June 2018 it was 19 pct, as to an EU average of 20 pct, the Premier also pointed out. AGERPRES (RO - author: Catalina Matei, editor: Florin Marin; EN: author; Simona Klodnischi, editor: Simona Iacob)