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Uzbekistan may introduce "living wage", "consumer basket" in 2018

Business Materials 15 January 2018 13:03 (UTC +04:00)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 15

By Nigar Guliyeva – Trend:

The concepts of "consumer basket" and "living wage" can be introduced this year if the state budget can withstand additional financial burden, First Deputy Economy Minister of Uzbekistan Mubin Mirzayev said.

Right now, the living wage was determined by the Institute for Social Research under the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan, and the consumer basket - together with the Health Ministry.

"The Economy Ministry will work with these organizations. After carrying out full calculations, we will check to what extent they comply with international standards. If we do not implement these concepts in practice, then they will continue to remain on paper. The goal is to increase the incomes of the population, that is, in any state the population should receive an income not less than the living wage," he stressed.

First of all, according to Mirzayev, the living wage and the consumer basket will be calculated.

"Afterwards, the question of practical implementation of these concepts will be studied - how much they will affect the state budget, as well as the costs of enterprises that pay salaries to employees, " he said.

Mirzayev also spoke on whether these concepts will bear declarative character or become mandatory for execution.

"If these concepts are put into practice, will the approved budget be able to withstand [the financial] load or not? If it can, and additional sources of funding will be identified, these concepts will be introduced from this year. If the budget can not ensure these, then there is no sense to introduce it in practice. If we do not have time this year, we will take measures to include the concepts in the budget of 2019, "he said.

The introduction of concepts before July 1 is stipulated by the draft State Program of 2018 "Year of active entrepreneurship, innovative ideas and technologies".

In the 2018- state budget, the GDP is expected to reach 290.6 trillion soums, the GDP deflator - 14.1 percent, the consumer price index - 12.4 - 13.4 percent.

The state budget expenditures are socially oriented. In 2018, expenditures on the social sphere will amount to 34.7 trillion soums, or 55.7 percent of total expenditures.

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