Tuzla Canton Assembly to convene on Friday, budget for 2023 on agenda

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The draft budget of Tuzla Canton in the amount of 600 million marks will be presented to the deputies at the Assembly session of this canton scheduled for Friday. Significant funds are foreseen for the salaries of budget users, capital investments, and social benefits. The first rebalancing is expected in the spring. The opposition claims that the budget is intended only to cover costs incurred during the election campaign.

The Government and Assembly of Tuzla Canton want to enter the new year 2023 with an adopted budget, and they will likely succeed. Significant funds, among other things, are foreseen in the budget for equipping the police, education and science, healthcare, child allowance, and agriculture. The proposed budget is in the amount of about 600 million marks.

"This is 12.6 million more compared to the budget for 2022, and regarding the Draft that we recently presented, it is 42 million KM more," states the Minister of Finance of TK, Suad Mustajbašić.

The opposition SDP claims that the Draft Budget, as well as the revenue side of this document, has not been presented correctly, reports Federalna.ba.

"The government is doing this intentionally to save a portion of funds for potential disruptions in the coming year. This was evident in the period between the Draft and the Proposal of the Budget, as a portion of funds suddenly appeared," says Dževad Hadžić, president of the SDP deputies' club in the TK Assembly.

The largest increase in the Draft Budget for 2023 compared to the current year relates to gross salaries and contributions, in the amount of about 36 million marks.

"I think all budget users and those who expect some benefits from the budget are satisfied. Unfortunately, there are always those who believe they are the only ones and that everything should be tailored to them," emphasized the President of the TK Assembly, Žarko Vujović.

And while the Minister of Finance claims the Budget is stabilizing, Hadžić emphasizes - that is not the case.

"What they are announcing as stabilizing is actually covering the costs we had during the election campaign, in which the Government, which was in the same composition, gave generously to certain categories to get those people to vote for the political parties that are now in the Government."

Otherwise, the new composition of the Government of Tuzla Canton should be known on January 20. The ruling majority in the most populous canton in the Federation, besides SDA, includes DF, as well as the Party for BiH and SD, who will also distribute the ministerial positions.