Berisha unveils 2011 budget priorities
Tirana Times
TIRANA, Oct. 13 – Prime Minister Sali Berisha reiterated on Wednesday government’s 2011 budget priorities focusing on infrastructure, tourism, agriculture and increased social dimension including the end to extreme poverty.
“By the end of 2011, there will be no citizen living in extreme poverty, there won’t be citizens with daily income of less than 1.25 dollars,” said Berisha in the government meeting.
“It’s not fair that some people wash themselves in golden baths while others ‘count’ their morsels. This is not the society we want and does not serve to social cohesion,” added the Prime Minister.
Next year’s budget, which should have already been approved by government last September, will continue supporting wage and pension increase, the visa roadmap, parking lots and water supply, which are listed as the main pillars.
Under the new proposed budget, which will still undergo discussion in parliamentary committees, before being given the final approval, some 500 million dollars will be invested in road infrastructure, cutting travel times by half to reach capital Tirana.
Last September, Prime Minister Sali Berisha said the 2011 budget, which is still being drafted by central and local government institutions, would be the biggest ever in the country’s history, strongly supporting economic growth and macroeconomic stability.
He said the budget should be sent to parliament in October for thorough examination after receiving government approval.
“The budget will support the construction of new roads such as the Arbri road, the Tirana-Elbasan highway, the completion of the Levan-Vlore motorway, hundreds of secondary roads and the reconstruction of water supply and sewage systems, schools and healthcare facilities.”
Describing tourism as one of the key sectors, he called on the tourism ministry to make legal changes guaranteeing protection to public beaches which are being invaded by private businesses often discharging waste straight into the sea.
Berisha said the grants in the 2011 budget must have tourism as their main destination mainly focusing on water supply and sewage systems.
Last July, the Democratic-Party led coalition cut the 2010 budget by 39 billion lek (around 380 million dollars) in an effort to lower budget deficit to 3.1 percent and keep public debt at 59.5 percent by the end of this year. The 2010 budget foresees 333.6 billion lek (3.3 billion dollars) in revenues and 371.7 billion lek in expenditure cutting deficit to 38 billion lek, down from 49.7 billion in the previously approved budget.
