Asuncion, IP Agency.- The Executive Branch presented the 2025 budget project to the National Congress on Friday, contemplating increases in investments for priority areas such as health, education, security and social transfer programs.
According to the Minister of Economy and Finance, Carlos Fernández Valdovinos, the draft General Budget for 2025 amounts to a total of USD 17,557 million, which represents 14% more than the current budget.
Despite the increase compared to this year’s budget, this figure complies with the fiscal convergence plan, which for next year indicates a maximum fiscal deficit of 1.9% of GDP, the minister explained.
“There are resources to finance it, in fact we are having higher revenues than estimated this year, and that opens the possibility of having this increase,” the minister stressed, noting that the estimates of revenues for 2025 are 7.5% higher than what was recorded this year.
Regarding the priority sectors in this project, the minister explained that Education will receive an additional 309 million dollars in 2025 compared to this year’s budget.
“Education has never received this level of increase,” said the minister, stressing that the Zero Hunger program will be fully funded for next year, with a specific additional amount of almost 200 million dollars.
In terms of health, he indicated that compared to this year’s budget, 103 million dollars have been allocated, ensuring the provision of medicines and the necessary resources for equipping the new large hospitals and hiring 1,200 new professionals who will work in them.
In addition, $25 million will be allocated to the National Cancer Institute, he said.
Regarding social protection programs, he indicated that the Plan for Older Adults has been allocated resources of 46 million dollars to achieve the universalization provided for in the law that modifies the program.
In terms of security, he said that resources have been secured to incorporate 5,000 new police officers and to maintain vehicles.
In this sector, he also pointed out that 111 million more dollars will be allocated to the Justice portfolio, for investment within the penitentiary system, mainly.
Finally, the Judicial Branch has an additional 52 million dollars in its budget for the execution of various programs, including the launch of the National Unified Registry, whose creation law was sent to Congress.
“We are facing one of the most important general spending budgets in recent history because it is the first budget we have had since we became investment grade,” said the minister.
“I trust that the parliamentarians, just as they supported all the important laws that we have presented in the economic field, will also respect the established limit of 1.9% as the maximum limit,” he added.
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2024-09-03 19:42:18
