Total State budget collection in the first half of the year showed an increase of 22.8 percent over the same period last year, according to a report released on the second day of the 41st session of the National Assembly Standing Committee.
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The government reported that the budget amount rose to VND327.8 trillion (USD15.91 billion) while overspending dropped to VND27.78 trillion (USD13.5 billion), the lowest level in comparison with the same period of recent years.
During the session, members of the NA Standing Committee believed that the consumer price index staying at 13.29 percent in the first six months of this year is still higher than the yearly target. They put it down to weak economic management, price hikes in some essential goods, and repeated adjustments of foreign exchange and interbank interest rates.
Some deputies said the sudden cut of credit growth from 31 percent in 2010 to below 20 percent in 2011 would help curb inflation to some extent but also cause certain difficulties to the economy. Therefore, they proposed the government maintain credit growth at about 23 percent.
Regarding social security and poverty reduction, the Head of the NA Committee for Social Affairs Truong Thi Mai said that many ministries, sectors and localities have not promoted information effectively enough to keep people fully aware of the government’s policies concerning these issues.
Truong Thi Mai cited the fact that the people near the poverty line have gained access to only 10 percent of the total VND10 trillion (USD485.4 million) allocated for them in the health insurance system. She demanded strict inspection of the implementation of the government’s policies.
Members of the NA Standing Committee also agreed that in the second half of this year, the tightening of monetary policy should be done in a flexible and cautious way to keep state budget overspending below five percent.
