The Minister of Economy and Finance, Azucena Arbeleche, accompanied by government authorities, presented, this Thursday the 1st, the Accountability project in the Budget Commission integrated with the Treasury of the Senate, in the Legislative Palace. There, it was reported that in 2022 the budget was increased by 830 million dollars and that an increase of 650 million more is planned for 2023 and 2024, for priority areas.
At the press conference, after the presentation, the minister was accompanied by the undersecretary of the portfolio, Alejandro Irastorza; the director of the Planning and Budget Office (OPP), Isaac Alfie, and the president of the Central Bank of Uruguay (BCU), Diego Labat.
Arbeleche revealed that the information provided to the Legislative Power included what was executed in fiscal year 2021 and the additional resources that will be part of the national budget for the year 2023. In this sense, he explained that, in total, for 2022, 2023 and 2024, the public spending in an approximate figure of 1,500 million dollars, compared to what was assumed last year.
The assigned resources will be distributed as follows: salaries, 212 million dollars; health, 203 million; education, 130 million; infrastructure, 97 million; security, 86 million; housing, 62 million; innovation, 28 million, and other items, 131 million.
Likewise, he maintained that the growth and employment results of 2021 were shared, in which the gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.1%, and a number of jobs similar to those lost during the pandemic were created. of COVID-19. In this framework, he assured that for this year, the GDP growth estimate is 4.8% and it is projected that 40,000 jobs will be created.
The minister asserted that, with these data, the results of the Government’s focus on job creation can be observed. “Now we are entering a new phase in the economic recovery, where in addition to employment, the recovery of real wages is added,” she said.
Likewise, he said that the bill includes the commitment that, in the public sector, the real salary ends three percentage points above that of before the health emergency. “Maintaining the real wage was a government commitment, and what we have presented is an increase above the pre-pandemic level,” he said.
In addition, he addressed the international economic situation and pointed out that the Ministry of Economy and the Central Bank informed Parliament of the measures taken to maintain the purchasing power of Uruguayans.
On this point, Labat stressed that the BCU is committed to price stability and reported that indicators are beginning to be observed that account for the slowdown in inflation.
Subsequently, Arbeleche stated that private investment and its promotion by the State is a priority of the administration, to achieve growth and jobs.
Regarding what was executed in terms of investments in 2021, Alfie highlighted that it is the highest in the last six years, in terms of GDP. “Private investment is the one that generates employment in the long term and public investment is the one that has to lay the infrastructure base for this to be possible,” he indicated.
Regarding public companies, he mentioned that rates, with the exception of fuels, due to depending on factors exogenous to the Government, fell in real terms: 15% in Antel, more than 6% in UTE and 2.3% in OSE. Presidency
