Government unanimously approves freeze on ministries’ expenses

The government has approved a measure to freeze the expenses of each of the ministries at 10.2 billion crowns, Prime Minister Petr Nečas told reporters after the cabinet’s meeting on Wednesday. Another 1.8 billion will go towards the General Cash Administration, which manages state debt. The measure, which was proposed by Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek, was passed unanimously in spite of earlier opposition from the Public Affairs party, whose chairman said Tuesday that the measures unfairly burdened the party’s four ministries. That statement, which was made publically, was met angrily by the prime minister, who said all ministries were being asked to make cuts and any minister who couldn’t shoulder the burden had no place in government. The aim of the measure is to maintain the public finances deficit at 5.3 percent of GDP.