PM assigns new State budget estimates, increased basic salary in 2018

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Accordingly, the State budget estimates for 2018 have been set for all ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, and other central agencies, in addition to the Vietnam Electricity Group, the Vietnam National Tobacco Corporation and the centrally-run provinces and cities.

The PM has authorised the Minister of Finance to assign the State budget estimates through the collection of charges and fees by the above units to the State budget, in addition to the spending for environmental protection activities in the centrally-run provinces and cities, expenses for national-level scientific and technological tasks, and the regular expenditures of national target programmes.

During the 2018-2020 period, the Finance Ministry should continue regulating 100% of the collected value added tax and special consumption tax on petrol and oil products from the Nghi Son oil refinery into the central budget, while preserving the percentage of the collected amount of environmental protection tax on domestic petrol and oil products and imports at the same level as in 2017.

From 2018, the PM has urged for tight control of State and local budget overspending and local budget borrowing to secure public debts, government debts and foreign debts within the prescribed limits.

The cabinet leader also requested the localities to evaluate their practical situation in order to decide on the implementation of targeted programmes with support from the central budget, to ensure their efficiency and compliance with the current laws, while also ensuring the reciprocal capital from the local budgets for the implementation of investment projects and national target programmes managed by the localities.

He requested the relevant ministries, ministerial-level and Governmental agencies to save on spending, streamline their organisations and seek more sources of revenue to pay for the regular raise in public employees’ basic salary, to VND 1.39 million from the current VND1.3 million, starting from July 1, 2018.

The new basic salary, used for calculating payrolls and allowances, will apply to public officials, public employees working in State agencies and civil service providers of the Party or the Government, State-funded socio-political organisations and the armed forces. Pensioners will also have their monthly payments adjusted accordingly.

Provinces and centrally-run cities must arrange funding for the salary raise using the local budget, the regulated ten-percent saving from regular spending, and other sources in line with the regulations.