On November 1, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting on tax revenues and budget parameters for 2022.

The Head of the state noted that raising human dignity and improving people’s lives are determined as the main goal in the country, and these principles should be the main criterion in the formation of the budget.

Therefore, the main attention in the draft state budget for the next year is paid primarily to social issues. In particular, 58 trillion UZS are planned to be allocated to education and healthcare.

The President proposed to additionally allocate another 12 trillion UZS for these areas, since, taking into account the needs and demands of the population in the regions, it is planned to implement 55 new programs next year. In particular, measures are envisaged to open 1.6 thousand kindergartens in remote areas, build 40 new schools and repair 235 schools, update school textbooks and create 2 thousand computer classes.

Several tasks have to be solved in the higher education system as well. It is planned to increase the quotas for admission to universities, including for master’s and doctoral studies based on the state grants, subsidizing the construction and equipping of hostels based on public-private partnerships and partial compensation for the costs of more than 80 thousand students for renting housing. Next year, it is planned to allocate 8 trillion UZS for the development of primary healthcare and the introduction of high-tech medical services in the regions. Of these, 1 trillion UZS will go to the development of oncohematology, endocrinology, kidney and liver transplantation. The corresponding appropriations are provided for organizing vaccination against coronavirus and bringing the number of vaccinated people to 17 million, providing specialized medical services to socially vulnerable segments of the population.

Emphasizing the need for a gradual increase in the salaries of teachers and doctors, the President proposed to allocate additional funds for this purpose.

One of the main expenditure items in the draft state budget is the improvement of the regional infrastructure. It is planned to allocate 26 trillion UZS for the construction of housing and social facilities, as well as the improvement of mahallas. “This is the first time that so many funds are allocated for these spheres. Now it is important to organize this in an orderly and efficient manner. Therefore, it is necessary to link the funds allocated for each program with target indicators and introduce an electronic control system”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

The issue of strengthening financial control in the budgetary system was considered. The need for increasing the transparency of the public procurement system was noted, ensuring iron discipline in this matter. The Ministry of Finance was instructed to introduce a system for holding tenders that excludes the human factor from January 1 next year. Instruction was also given to completely digitalize the accounting department of all budgetary organizations, to make payments for public procurement through electronic invoices.

The Head of the state emphasized the need for discussing the draft budget with local councils, entrepreneurs and the population, submitting their proposals for discussion by the Oliy Majlis.

Responsible persons provided information on the issues discussed at the meeting.

Source: UzA