SANTO DOMINGO. The 2025 General State Budget Bill, recently submitted by the Executive Branch to the National Congress, establishes total expenditures of 1 trillion 484,234 million, 600,000 pesos, representing 18.3% of the estimated GDP for next year.
Among the priorities, the executive branch highlights social protection and education. The budget emphasizes the protection of the most vulnerable segments of the population, with a focus on social inclusion and improving the quality of life for Dominican families. It explains that 4.10% of GDP will be allocated to the education system, seeking to optimize the use of resources and ensure adequate investment in educational infrastructure. This aims to effectively integrate and coordinate the different levels of education.
Also included are health and safety. The document details continued support for the health sector and social security, promoting necessary reforms and ensuring care for early childhood and the elderly. It also highlights economic development, noting that tourism and infrastructure development projects will be promoted to generate employment and strengthen the economy, including an integrated transportation system in Santiago and Santo Domingo.
Furthermore, it prioritizes citizen security. It assures that resources will be allocated for the reform and modernization of the police forces, reaffirming the government's commitment to public safety.
The budget also anticipates a projected fiscal deficit of 242,869,900,000 pesos, equivalent to 3.0% of GDP, and seeks to maintain fiscal sustainability through efficient resource allocation. Financing sources will include bond issuances and agreements with multilateral organizations.
Distribution
Of the total expenditures, the institutions with the most resources are:
- Ministry of Education: 309,832,150,000 pesos
- Ministry of Public Health: 149,205,273,193 pesos
- Presidency of the Republic: 130,068,682,615 pesos
Also, the Ministry of the Interior and Police has a budget appropriation of 73,631,962,714 pesos, among other institutions.
Despite the information about the restructuring of the Dominican education system, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology appears in the bill with an allocation of 22,851,776,170 pesos.
These resources are distributed among the central activities (633,678,274 pesos), promotion and development of higher education (4,143,193,486 pesos), promotion and development of science and technology (1,599,568,364 pesos), Administration of special contributions (855,369,507 pesos) and the Administration of assets, liabilities and transfers with 15,619,966,539 pesos.
Debt
The budgetary appropriations for the Central Government's expenditure include the Executive Branch, within which is the administration of public debt and financial assets with an allocation of 333,486,471,138 pesos.
Income and financial sources
The Executive Branch has established estimates for the General State Budget for fiscal year 2025, with total consolidated revenues and financial sources of 1,681,728,621,591 pesos. This amount includes contributions from the Central Government, autonomous and decentralized non-financial agencies, as well as Public Social Security Institutions. In the letter the Executive Branch sent to the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco, presenting the draft budget, it explains that the projected fiscal result and anticipated financial applications represent sources amounting to 350,990.4 million pesos, equivalent to 4.3% of GDP, lower than in previous years.
With information from Diario Libre.
