VMRO-DPMNE Vice-Chair Gordana Dimitrieska-Kochoska claims that the Budget will be €200 million short this year, due to poor VAT collection. The Budget will be filled by the social contributions and the personal tax, collected from the salaries, because, as worthless as the salaries are, their total amount is higher because of the inflation.

“If thee planned revenues for 2023 were supposed to raise by 16% year-to-year, the collection data reveals that ending with May, they are 14% smaller. The expenses are also growing much faster – they were planned to raise by 16%, while they grew by 20% in the first quartal only. The largest growth of expenses is in the Capital Investments, because of the €280 million paid to Bechtel&Enka as penalties and damages, due to the corrupted contract the Government signed with them., and the money paid to the Electricity Economy Macedonia for covering the differences in the price. Both are not capital investments, and when the time comes for the Budget to be revised, they will cut the Capital Investments again, as every year”, Kochoska explains.