Sri Mulyani: Deficit in Q1 Budget 0.58 Percent

Jakarta, MINA – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said a deficit of Rp85.8 trillion or 0.58 percent of the country`s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was recorded in the implementation of the state budget for Q1 this year,Antara News reported.

“The deficit dropped from the deficits recorded in the same period in the past three years,” Sri Mulyani told reporters here on Monday.

She said the deficit were 0.71 percent of the GDP in the same period in 2015, around 1.13 percent of the GDP in Sri Mulyani in the first quarter of 2016 and 0.76 percent of the GDP in the first three months of 2017.

The minister said the deficit was a result of state income of Rp333.8 trillion as against state spending of Rp419.6 trillion.

The state income included tax revenues at Rp262.4 trillion, non tax revenues of Rp71.1 trillion and grants of Rp0.3 trillion.

State spending included government sp0ending of Rp234 trillion and transfer to the regions and rural fund of Rp185.6 trillion.

Spending by the central government included spending by the ministries and other government agencies at Rp103.1 trillion and spending by non ministries and non-government agencies at Rp130.8 trillion.

Budget financing already reached Rp149.8 trillion or 46 percent of the target of Rp325.9 trillion thanks to the issuance of state bonds since the start of the year.

Sri Mulyani said the “positive” realization showed improvement in the performance of state budget and would become an incentive for economic growth.

“We see the improving trend and healthier performance of the state budget,” she said. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)