PRIME MINISTER ALEKSANDAR VUCIC: WE’RE BRINGING MONEY TO SOUTH SERBIA

14. October 2016.

Nis – Following the meeting with the governors of Nis, Toplica, Pirot, Jablanica and Pcinj districts, as well as with the mayors and presidents of all the municipalities in the five said districts, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said that he had heard all the mayors and presidents of the municipalities and that some of the problems had been solved. He pointed out that, apart from what was financed by the ministries, the government had allocated additional financial support for South Serbia of two billion dinars, underscoring that the government would work to ensure that more money was provided for that part of the country through investments and creation of jobs.

"We are bringing money and we shall bring even more money to South of Serbia," Prime Minister Vucic said.

Prime Minister Vucic gave as an example the city of Nis, which would receive around 300 million dinars for decorating facades. He also said that additional funds would be provided for Vranje, Leskovac, Prokuplje and Prot, and announced the Government’s investments in the construction of various facilities, from sports to tourism ones.

According to him, investments will be made in the spas located in that area, which are the following: Kursumlijska Spa, Lukovska Spa, Prolom Spa, Sijarinska Spa and Bujanovacka Spa.

“We tried to solve the issue of fruit and vegetable processing, and we also talked about bringing in investors, "said Prime Minister Vucic, announcing that the Italian “Leoni” Company would open a factory in Nis.

Prime Minister Vucic said that important road works were being performed, which hadn’t been done for “fifty to sixty years”.

“We will bring more investors here ...we are bringing the commitments of all the ministers, as well as the money, "he said, adding that there was a great desire to re-use the barracks that were previously closed.

He underscored that the government’s job was to reduce poverty and that it was working on it, and pointed out that there was a desire to invest, inter alia, in tourism.

Prime Minister Vucic said that pensioners would be better off, as well as that salaries in the public sector would be higher for teachers, police officers and employees in the judiciary and the army.

The Serbian Prime Minister said that the redistribution of earnings taxes from local self-governments to the republic, which was provided for by the adopted amendments to the Law on Local Self-Government Financing, had been required by the European Union, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Under the recently adopted amendments to the Law on Local Self-Government Financing, it is anticipated that of the total earnings taxes paid to the local self-governments, instead of the current 80 percent, 77 percent would, in the future, remain to the cities and 74 per cent to the municipalities.

Source: “Tanjug” news agency and Coordination Body