The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee will not sway toward allowing public debt to beat the permissible ceiling of 65 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), said NA general Secretary Nguyen Hanh Phuc on October 18.
Phuc was speaking at a news briefing on the second NA sitting slated to open this Thursday in Hanoi.
Public debt surpassed the ceiling of 50 percent of GDP in the previous two years. The government has projected that public debt might reach 64.98 percent of GDP at the end of the year.
Many forecasts show public debt would exceed the 65 percent cap if the economic growth target is missed.
Phuc said if public debt beats the ceiling, the NA and the government should be held responsible for that.
He hailed the Ministry of Finance’s plan to give State officials a monthly allowance to travel to work, instead of using State-owned cars, but descried the plane as inefficient because the number of State-owned cars at the ministry remains the same.
He proposed public administrative agencies should manage cars well and that State officials must register when they need to use cars to ensure efficiency.
Four draft laws and one resolution will go before the NA at its second sitting. Besides, NA deputies will give comments on 12 other draft laws.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement will not be presented at the NA session this time as government agencies need more time to prepare for deliberation, Phuc noted.
Source: http://english.thesaigontimes.vn
Key words: NA, Standing Committee, firm, against, public debt, rise
