Budgets for 2020, 2021 vetoed over funds for municipalities

The implementation bill sets the main source of funds for municipalities - the per-capita sum - at EUR 589 for 2020 and EUR 588 for 2021, whereas the councillors believe the sums should by some EUR 70 higher, at EUR 659 and EUR 668.

Trying to dissuade them from vetoing the bill, Saša Jazbec from the Finance Ministry said if a veto was imposed and the bill failed to get endorsed again in the lower chamber, the 2020 budget would not be implemented, meaning the per-capita sum would be even lower, at this year's level.

The councillors agreed the per-capita sum was the highest ever, just as are the two state budgets, but municipalities' expenses were also growing very fast.

Councillor Bojan Kekec for instance argued the government should have provided the money for public sector pay rise from the budget instead of putting it on the shoulders of municipalities.<...