There are fierce reactions to the adoption of the state budget in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH), which, among other things, envisages a salary increase of 500 BAM for appointed and elected officials, while, for example, a soldier in the Armed Forces or a border police officer’s salary is increased by only 70 to 80 BAM.
And while some of them are trying to justify themselves by claiming that they will donate the money to charity, and most are silent because they voted for it, citizens are outraged because they no longer know how to make ends meet.
They are equally outraged by the fact that, despite extremely high tax revenues, the state does not want to give up a single BAM and focus on mitigating the consequences of daily price increases, for example by abolishing excise taxes on fuel.
In the midst of the worst global economic crisis of the 21st century, state parliamentarians have decided to raise salaries for themselves and ministers by 500 BAM. They did this by hiding behind employees in state institutions – they used the salary increase for these workers for themselves as well.
The Speaker of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nikola Spiric, convened an emergency session of the House of Peoples today, at which the Draft Law on the Budget of BiH Institutions and International Obligations of BiH for 2022, submitted by the House of Representatives, should be discussed.
On June 27, the House of Representatives adopted the budget proposal of BiH institutions for this year in the text as it was submitted to the parliamentary procedure by the Presidency of BiH.
On June 6, the Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Draft Law on the Budget of BiH Institutions and International Obligations of BiH for 2022, which was then sent to the Presidency of BiH as an authorized proposer.
Total revenues, receipts and financing of BiH institutions in 2022 amount to 1,073,600,000 BAM, which is an increase of eight percent, or 77,600,000 BAM, compared to the budget of BiH institutions for 2020, while servicing the external debt of BiH amounts to 819,189. 119 BAM and is higher by 11,636,188 BAM or one percent in relation to the budget for 2020.
On June 8, the Presidency of BiH determined the Proposal of the Law on the Budget of BiH Institutions and International Obligations of BiH for 2022, with an amendment to the text of the Law on Budget. The change is that 2 million and 800 thousand BAM are transferred from the item of the current reserve to the item of the Central Election Commission of BiH, ie funds that were missing for the organization of general elections in BiH.
The draft law on the budget of BiH institutions is the only item on the proposed agenda of the emergency session of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliament.
