The rebalance of the state budget ultimately did not bring any of the previously announced dramatic cuts, nor did it affect salaries or pensions, nor did it introduce changes within the fiscal system. However, the Parliament will still adopt it at an extraordinary session that will cost taxpayers around 120 thousand kuna.
For the payment of travel allowances for the arrival and departure of representatives to the session in the week when the Parliament is in session, around 60 thousand kuna is spent. Although the extraordinary session of the Parliament, which the Government requested to vote on the rebalance, will last only two days, the problem is that those two days are Thursday and the following Monday. This means that representatives will be entitled not to one arrival and departure from the session, but to the payment of two weekly allowances. If the extraordinary session of the Parliament had been convened for yesterday’s Wednesday, since the Government voted on the rebalance on Tuesday, the entire process, along with the voting on the document, could have been completed within one week, thus halving the cost.
Thus, an unnecessary amount will be spent on voting for the »rebalance of savings«, which may be symbolic but clearly shows the attitude towards state money. The regular session of the Parliament, according to the Constitution, can continue as early as September 15, so it is unclear why the ruling party insists that such a rebalance, which does not introduce any dramatic disturbances in the existing budgetary relations or fiscal system, be voted on at an extraordinary session rather than just twenty days later, at a regular session.
