GAP: 2018 budget insufficient for poverty reduction

The increase in the budget for social assistance scheme by 15 percent is insufficient for beneficiaries to flee the poverty threshold. According to the analysis that the Institute for Advanced Studies GAP has made the Republic of Kosovo budget bill for 2018, despite the Government's promise of growth of the budget for the 20% social aid scheme, this has not happened, and that the Law on the budget of 2018 is projected to increase by only 15 percent.

The budget for this category, according to the Bill that last Sunday has spent its first reading in the Assembly, from 27.4 million as it has been up to 31.4m euros, writes today “Koha Ditore”.

But such an increase is insufficient for social assistance beneficiaries to escape the threshold of extreme poverty. In all, with this 15% increase, the amount the beneficiaries will receive will cover only 61% of the amount needed to flee the extreme poverty threshold”, the GAP Institute analysis says.