Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)– As
the COVID-19 pandemic is predicted to linger and affect the State budget
revenue as well as spending on the pandemic combat, it is necessary to flexibly
combine fiscal and monetary policies to keep macro-economic stability, said
Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc.
Talking to the Vietnam News
Agency, Phoc said the Ministry of Finance (MoF) suggested the Government propose
the National Assembly allocate 10 trillion VND (over 439 million USD) in the
health sector’s frequent expenditure from the 2022 central budget for COVID-19
prevention and control.
It also recommended 20.5
trillion VND from the central budge reserve (about 2.5 percent of the total
central budget spending) and 1.7 trillion VND from the national reserve be earmarked
for the COVD-19 fight, settlement of disaster consequences, epidemic prevention
and control, along with other important tasks.
The MoF will base on the
pandemic situation to use those resources from the central budget and combine them
with legal financial sources of localities to meet demand in reality, the
minister said.
He noted to achieve the twin
targets of combating the pandemic and developing the economy, closely combining
fiscal and monetary policies is all the more important so as to guarantee
resources for the COVID-19 fight and social security, and cut down input costs
for production and business activities.
Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc (Photo: VNA)
Regarding fiscal policies, relevant
agencies have exempted, reduced, or extended repayment deadlines of tax, fee,
land rent, and others in order to help enterprises, households, and individuals
doing business minimise expenses and sustain activities.
Many monetary and credit
solutions have also been carried out such as reducing lending interest rates
and providing concessional loans to help businesses pay salary to workers, channeling
credit into priority fields, and strictly controlling credit for high-risk
sectors.
In addition, some fiscal
policies have been implemented to give cash assistance to workers and provide
indirect aid for employers, Phoc went on.
Apart from the restructuring
of the State budget and public debt, appropriate monetary and foreign exchange
rate policies have helped develop the Government bond market, thus mobilising considerable
resources for the State budget, according to the official./.