The budget balance recorded a surplus of 677 million dinars (MD), during the first two months of the year 2023, against 38.7 MD, at the end of February 2022, (which represents an increase of 1649%), this is what emerges from the document of Provisional Results of the Execution of the State Budget, published on Wednesday by the Ministry of Finance. This improvement is the result of the 19.7% increase in budgetary resources, to 6.6 billion dinars, following the 12.7% increase in tax revenues, to nearly 6 billion dinars, and the 164% increase in non-tax revenues, to 0.6 billion dinars. On the other hand, budgetary expenses evolved at a slower rate of 8.3%, to nearly 6 billion dinars. The growth in expenses is explained in particular by the increase in remuneration expenses by 7.2% to reach 3.6 billion dinars, and intervention expenses by 16.6% to 1 billion dinars. Remuneration expenditure accounts for 60.1% of total State budget expenditure, followed by intervention expenditure (16.8%), financing costs (14.3%) and investment expenditure (6%). As for the amount allocated to the compensation, it evolved by 8%, passing from 722 MD, at the end of February 2022, to 781.5 MD, at the end of February 2023, considering the increase of the hydrocarbon subsidy expenses by 60%, to 603 MD. On the other hand, the compensation of basic products dropped by nearly 90% to 21 MD during the first two months of 2023, against 200 MD in February 2022.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse