ANKARA - Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan said on Monday that they would make 6 percent of increase in salaries of civil servants in the first half of 2004 and 6 percent of increase in the second half of 2004.
Unakitan held a news conference on submission of 2004 Budget Draft Law to the parliament and 2003 and 2004 budget figures and said that salary of the lowest degree civil servants would increase from 428.1 million Turkish liras to 454.2 million TL after 6 percent of increase in salaries.
Stating that growth rate in GNP in 2004 was targeted as 5 percent as in 2003, Unakitan said that 2004 year budget was prepared according to international standards and submitted to the parliament on October 17.
Unakitan said that 2004 year-end consumer prices and wholesale prices indexes were determined as 12 percent.
Noting that 2004 year budget would have a new concept, he said that ''analytic budget categorization'' was put into practice with 2004 year budget.
Unakitan said that they could say that Turkey had a budget system appropriate for international standards and the EU norms.
Unakitan noted that January-September budget practice results were appropriate for primary surplus target and stated that consolidated budget expenditures became 101 quadrillion 576 trillion TL and consolidated budget incomes became 71 quadrillion 751 trillion TL in the period of January-September 2003.
He added that 2003 year-end primary surplus target would be reached.
''WE WANT TO ERASE ZEROS FROM TL IN BEGINNING OF 2005''
Unakitan said that the issue of erasing zeros from TL was a process and that firstly a study which would continue at least for 15 months had to be undertaken.
Unakitan noted that the 160 million TL which would be given to civil servants for one time would be paid in two installments.
Upon another question, Unakitan said that they would transfer the shanty areas to municipalities and that the latter would sell those shanty areas and use part of its revenue themselves.
Answering a question, Unakitan said that the government also revised the non-interest surplus due to the revision in budget figures, but there was no change in the 6.5 percent target. He stressed that there was also a good improvement in the revenues of State Economic Enterprises this year.
Stating that they aimed to solve problems regarding tax system, he said that tax burden would decrease in 2004.
Unakitan said that most of additional tax measures which were implemented in 2003 would not be implemented in 2004. Noting that fight against unregistered economy would be intensified, Unakitan said that tax administration would be restructured in 2004 as parallel to reforms which were fulfilled in tax regulation.
(EÖ-AY) 20.10.2003