Four-month central budget spending slightly below pro-rata plans

Central budget expenditure in the first four months, at HUF 3,607.5 billion, reached 32.5% of the annual plan, detailed budget figures show. One of the biggest individual items, interest expenditure reached HUF 447.6 billion or 36.2% of the annual target, but still dropped about HUF 30 billion in one year. Among other spending, debt service related spending, at HUF 22.5 billion, rose more than fourfold, mainly on the financial transaction duty paid by the state debt management agency ÁKK, the economy ministry said in its budget report. Among other bigger items on the spending side, the HUF 101.9 billion spent on case-by-case and standard support was nearly 38% of the annual target and almost tripled from last year as the central budget started to transfer the support already in April instead of May as in 2012. The biggest items were the HUF 78 billion contribution to the cost of intercity public transport and HUF 22.1 billion paid towards rail network maintenance.