DUSHANBE, April 14, 2011, Asia-Plus -- A roundtable to discuss budget forming problems took place in Dushanbe on April 14.

Speaking at the meeting, Safarali Rajabov, head of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) Committee on Budget and Finance, noted that in the future, members of the lower house of parliament would participate in working out the country’s national budget.

According to him, parliamentarians will not limit themselves to discussion and adoption of the budget law worked out by the government any more.

MP Husein Aliyev noted that along with participation in drafting the budget law, parliamentarians must also tighten control over implementation of the budget and targeted use of the budgetary funds.

Deputy Finance Minister, Jamshed Norinov, stressed that work on drafting the law on the national budget for 2012 has started and they plan to submit the draft budget law for consideration to the government until September 20.  According to him, parliamentarians may send their proposals regarding the national budget for the next year to the Ministry of Finance until June 15.

MP Mahmadsharif Nozimov noted that the Ministry of Finance must consider reliability of figures and revenue and expenditure items when drafting the budget.

“For example, according to statistical data from the Ministry of Agriculture, more than 1.2 million tons of cereals were produced last year and the Customs Service’s figures show that more than 800,000 tons cereals were imported into the country in 2010,” said Nozimov, “In the meantime, according to statistics, Tajikistan’s annual requirements in cereals do not exceed 1.3 million tons.”