The president of the Bicameral Budget Commission, Arnaldo Samaniego (ANR-Capital), spoke with a radio station in the capital and said that in the PGN 2023, priority will be given to health, education, security and older adults, considering that these are sectors that present important vulnerabilities, after the Covid-19 pandemic.
«The study of the PGN must be honest about the current situation we have, as a consequence of the pandemic; the war between Ukraine and Russia, which led to a rise in fuel prices; we must not forget that we are coming from a regional economic recession; also floods and droughts, at the national level; and from there see the needs according to the high demands that exist”, said the parliamentarian.
He mentioned that, despite the delicate situation, Paraguay is the country with the best development in the region, after the pandemic. He considered the decision of the Ministry of Finance, which sent a budget with a fiscal deficit cap of 2.3%, to be very correct, after having reached a 3% deficit to match the budget of previous years.
Let us remember that the Political Financing Law establishes a maximum of 1.5% fiscal deficit with respect to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, it was agreed, as a way to deal with the crisis, to exceed that limit to 3%, but with the promise of gradually reducing the gap in the coming years.
The budget project contemplates an amount of G. 102.6 billion (USD 14,454 million), which represents a 6% increase in relation to the initial budget for the year 2022. The mentioned amount is equivalent to 33% percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the country.
Of what is budgeted, 55% corresponds to the Central Administration, while the remaining 45% corresponds to decentralized entities.
