They estimate that El Salvador’s budget for 2023 is deficient

The Foundation indicated that pruning occurs in the main areas of the country’s development, when expressing its concern that the government in its budget law for the year 2023 has reduced in the branches of education, agriculture and health, at a time when extreme poverty is increasing, food insecurity and low indicators of coverage of public goods and services.

According to the draft budget that is in the hands of the National Assembly, the government will raise six thousand and 988.3 million in 2023, of which 93.1 percent will come from taxes.

ICEF economists estimate that those cuts are reflected in fewer resources, for hospitals like Rosales and the National Specialist Children’s Foundation Benjamin Bloom, in the pension for seniors and people with disabilities.

Ciudad Mujer’s program will also be affected, however, the communications secretary and press secretary of the Presidency of the Republic, the two strongholds of President Neb Bukele’s re-election campaign, have seen excessive increases (38.0 and 71.4 percent), respectively, according to economists’ criteria.

Those studying the case are recommending to the government a technical review of the projected collection estimate for 2023, as well as the inclusion in the budget of insurance tax resources, recently approved by the legislature.

The report set the projected central government public spending for 2023 to be 7786.5 million, or 24.3 percent of GDP, lower than the 26.8 percent estimated by ISFI for 2022.

It is remarkable, according to Isefi, that this austerity approach focuses on the main areas of the country’s development and not on excessive spending, and it is also alarming that even the population is not aware of the content of the initiative, which limits its right. To find out what he intends to implement with tax resources.

jha / pound