At the sitting held on 22 April, the Finance Committee discussed in principle the Bill amending and modifying the Republic of Serbia 2009 Budget Law, with its accompanying proposals of decisions granting consent to the decisions amending and modifying the 2009 financial plans, the Bill amending and modifying the Law on Tax on Use, Possession and Carrying of Goods, the Bill amending and modifying the Personal Income Tax Law, the Bill amending and modifying the Law on loan abeyance and write-off on grounds of mandatory health insurance contributions and the Bill on temporary cut in pay i.e. wages, net fees and other income in public administration and the public sector.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance Vuk Djokovic shortly outlined the Bill amending and modifying the Republic of Serbia 2009 Budget Law for the Committee members, stressing that the effects of the world economic crisis and its impact on Serbia made it necessary to revise and amend the 2009 Budget Law. The amendments concern the decrease of public expenditure i.e. discretionary expenditure, with no changes in social transfers, and the deficit is raised from 1.7% GDP to 3% GDP which will not burden Serbia’s public debt.

Following the discussion, the Committee members accepted the Bill in principle, and deputies Mladen Grujic, Slobodan Maras and Radojko Obradovic reserved their opinions.

After a short discussion, the Committee members accepted in principle the Bills amending and modifying the Law on Tax on Use, Possession and Carrying of Goods; amending and modifying the Personal Income Tax Law; amending and modifying the Law on loan abeyance and write-off on grounds of mandatory health insurance contributions and on temporary cut in pay i.e. wages, net fees and other income in public administration and the public sector, by a majority of votes.

The Committee members went on to decide that insight into the 2007 Reports on political party financing should be enabled to interested deputies, and to request from the National Assembly Secretary, in line with article 18 of the Law on Financing of Political Parties, that the data be published on the website of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. The Committee members also decided that the Committee Deputy Chairperson Branka Ljiljak represent the Committee during the study visit to the Canadian Parliament in late May this year.

The sitting was chaired by the Committee Chairman, Zoran Krasic.