The minister said the deficit figure has taken into account the consolidated state budget, including regional budgets and the high rate of fiscal risks.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo said the deficit in the 2011 State Budget could reach two percent or exceed the previously assumed figure of 1.8 percent.
"We believe additional expenditures requested by various ministries and state institutions in the revised 2011 State Budget will cause the deficit to rise to two percent," the minister said here on Friday.
The minister said the deficit figure has taken into account the consolidated state budget, including regional budgets and the high rate of fiscal risks.
"As a result of fiscal risks as well as additional expenditure, they will, if coupled together, have implications on deficit and we must guard this with the regions," he said.
The minister said the government would still maintain the deficit at two percent and try to hold it so that it would not increase too high over what was mandated by the Law on the State Budget at three percent.
He said that the changes in the deficit rate and other assumptions would be contained in the 2011 revised state budget, that would soon be submitted by the government to the House of Representatives (DPR) next month.
"Now we are to revise the 2011 state budget early in July and hopefully it would be endorsed by the House at the end of July," the minister said.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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