Tbilisi Budget 2019 to Exceed GEL 1 Billion
By Tea Mariamidze
Thursday, December 27
The final draft approved by Sakrebulo reads that the budget of Tbilisi will be GEL 927.6 million ($348.3 million) next year which is GEL 10.8 ($4.05m) million more than the budget of the capital in 2018.
In addition, GEL 75 million ($29.67m) will be added to the budget of Tbilisi which means that during 2019 the budget will exceed one billion GEL.
Sakrebulo also approved the draft amendment to the budget according to which the budget revenues will increase by GEL 170 million ($63.84m) and comprise 1.869 billion GEL ($701m).
“The next year's budget of the capital will exceed GEL one billion. This is important because we will have the opportunity to implement more interesting projects for Tbilisi,” Mayor Kakha Kaladze stated during the presentation of City Hall’s activities in 2018.
The Mayor added that 38% of the budget will be spent on infrastructure projects while the healthcare and social filed will get GEL 20 million ($7.51m) more financing next year.
The budget for the infrastructural projects next year is GEL 357 million ($134.07m), which is GEL 18.3 million ($68m) more than the approved indicators of 2018.
Social and Health Care filed will be financed by GEL 327.9 million ($123.1m), which is GEL 20.8 million ($7.8m)more than the previous year’s approved budget.
37 MPs voted for the draft budget but the opposition did not attend the session as a sign of protest, saying the budget was not appropriate.
Irakli Nadiradze, member of the United National Movement (UNM) stated that the City Hall is to increase administrative expenses, adding it is unacceptable.
He said no matter what remarks the opposition has, the ruling party Georgian Dream (GD) majority at Sakrebulo always “makes decisions to serve their own interests.”
Vice-Mayor of the capital Irakli Khmaladze also made a comment. According to him, it is the first case when the budget of Tbilisi will exceed GEL 1 billion.
“Out of GEL 927 million, the income is 900 million. From this, the tax part is about 658 million, while the part of the grants is GEL 51 million and other income is GEL 190 million which is approximately GEL 20 million more compared to the budget of the previous year,” he said.