Finance Minister confident MPs will back wider revenue measures
17 Apr 2013, 8:16 PM
Neil Merrett
Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad has expressed confidence that MPs will approve a raft of measures to raise state revenue, even after they narrowly rejected government proposals to increase an airport service charge yesterday (April 16).
Hiking the airport service charge from US$18 to US$30 for international passengers was among a raft of measures proposed by the Finance Ministry within the estimated 2013 budget in order to raise MVR 1.8 billion (US$116 million) in new income.
The finance minister told MPs in December 2012 that additional revenue was needed to finance the fiscal deficit and rein in soaring public debt, which was projected to reach MVR 31 billion (US$2 billion) or 82 percent of GDP by the end of 2013.
After yesterday’s rejection of the service charge increase, Jihad told Minivan News that he was of the belief parliamentarians would back other proposed measures that he has previously claimed will be vital in balancing the state budget.
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