Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked the financial sector to do its utmost to fulfill the State budget collection target for 2013.

The government leader was speaking at a July 17 online conference with provinces and cities nationwide on the implementation of financial-budget tasks in the second half of the year.

In the context of the global economy’s complicated developments with numerous hidden risks, Vietnam is facing a lot of difficulties and challenges despite its important achievements recorded in the first half in maintaining economic growth, curbing inflation and ensuring social security, PM Dung said.

Against the backdrop, the Government has issued resolutions to direct socio-economic development, remove difficulties for businesses, support the market, deal with bad debts and strengthen the implementation of financial and budget tasks, he said.

According to him, the country’s socio-economic situation in the first six months of the year saw positive changes, creating a premise for the successful performance of the year’s socio-economic development plans. Those results were greatly contributed by the financial sector, he noted.

In the remaining months, the PM asked the Finance Ministry to work with localities and businesses to ensure budget collection at the highest level.

“Ministries, agencies and localities should take drastic measures to manage budget spending in a close and effective manner, practise thrift and prevent wastefulness,” he said.

The Finance Ministry was urged to collaborate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, other ministries and localities to review the implementation of State budget collection and spending in 2013 as a foundation for mapping out an estimate for the following year, ensuring budget overspending stands at an appropriate rate.

The ministry needs to pay attention to strengthening market and price control and persistently implement a market-regulated price mechanism with the State management, specially for petrol and coal, while strictly following a market price roadmap for electricity, said PM Dung, who asked for strict punishments on any violations of price law.

The Government leader also required the financial sector to better information work and actively provide information related to budget management to mass media and people, thus creating a social consensus that helps successfully realise the set targets.

According to Finance Minister Dinh Tien Dung, in the second half of the year, the sector will focus on building projects, policies and mechanisms to strengthen market control and price management as well as taking measures to solve difficulties for businesses, boost exports and control imports to reduce trade deficit.
It will continue speeding up the equitisation of State-owned enterprises and renovate financial mechanism for public non-productive sector while increasing financial inspections to prevent corruption, wastefulness and other negative phenomena.-VNA