VUJOVIC: Reasonable salaries and pensions decrease of 10%

(Dusan Vujovic) The Minister of Economy and the acting Minister of Finance, Dusan Vujovic, has announced today that he thinks “it is reasonable” that salaries in private sector and pensions decrease this year by 10%.

- We will try to stick to what is reasonable. I think that ten plus ten - 10 (percent) salaries 10 (percent) pensions is reasonable. But it is yet up to the Government to find a combination of measures to distribute the burden equally – Vujovic said for the Radio-television of Serbia (RTS).

He said that everybody, not only workers and the retired, must carry the burden for the way out of this situation and to reach the level which is sustainable until 2017.

- Plan would be to decrease deficit linearly for some RSD 60 billion every year. The suggestion of (former minister of finance) Lazar Krstic was that salaries and pensions take the hit in the first year and my objective is to distribute it not only to salaries and pensions but also to grey economy – he said.

As he pointed out, if everybody would pay excise, customs and cigarette taxes, the state would generate some EUR 100 mil.

- If public companies would fix, we would save another EUR 200-300 mil which would decrease the burden need on salaries and pensions – Vujovic said.