BRATISLAVA, November 29, (WEBNOVINY) — Finance Minister Ivan Miklos said that during after one-and-a-half year of his term the Finance Ministry has managed to save on purchases of goods and services as well as personnel costs. Miklos said that together 1,500 people will have left the ministry and organizations in its jurisdiction since he took over the office until the end of the year, which represents a reduction by 14 percent. As for goods and services, the overall savings amount to over 20 percent and 30 percent, respectively. Especially electronic auctions contributed to the achieved savings.
Miklos elaborated that the office of the Finance Ministry alone where the number of employees increased from 587 to 702 under former Finance Minister Jan Pociatek also thanks to new competencies released over 50 people. “The number of newly hired staff was inappropriately high then. We have released 55 people without modifying the competencies since that time,” said the minister at the press briefing on Tuesday.
Having laid off 828 people to date, the Customs Administration has registered the biggest decrease in the number of employees within the Finance Ministry, mostly because of the planned merger with Tax Administration. Another one hundred people should be released from the Customs Administration by the end of the year so the overall staff reduction will reach 22 percent. Hundreds of people will also be let go from the Tax Directorate. To date, 249 people have been dismissed from the Tax Administration and one hundred more are to be released by the end of the year.
Finance Minister Ivan Miklos underscores that substantial cuts have been accomplished also in procurement of goods and services while he has been in the office. For example reduction in the price of post-warranty repair of ministry’s cars by as much as 86 percent proves that. Electronic auctions have also secured lower prices for mobile services or electricity. The minister also mentioned cuts in expenditures on legal services as the ministry has secured most of these services on its own.
SITA