Surjadi seeks 17% hike in spending

Surjadi seeks 17% hike in spending

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja asked the city
council yesterday to increase the administration's spending in
the current fiscal year by 17 percent, in view of an unexpected
surplus in the city's 1994/1995 budget.

Under the proposal, total spending in the fiscal year, which
began on April 1, would be Rp 2.6 trillion ($1.13 billion).

The administration gained a windfall of Rp 387.55 billion
through a recalculation of the 1994/1995 budget.

Surjadi told a plenary session of the council that he planned
to use the additional funds to increase the administration's
routine spending by Rp 218.07 billion to Rp 1.48 trillion and to
raise development spending by 168.48 billion to Rp 1.18 trillion.

The administration has set aside Rp 126.40 billion to finance
projects that were carried over from the previous year.

Surjadi did not mention any new project. He said that, with
the additional money, the city could speed up the implementation
of some existing projects.

He cited as examples the land-clearing necessary for various
overpasses, including those over Jl. KH Mas Mansyur and Jl.
Matraman.

He also mentioned Jl. DI Panjaitan underpass project and
various other traffic improvements. He said the additional money
would also be spent on the city's drive to eradicate poverty.

Surjadi said the administration also plans to accelerate some
of the programs to clear up slum areas and to build low cost
apartments in Bendungan Hilir and Kebun Kacang.

The increase in spending is intended to improve the public
services provided by the administration and to accelerate the
city's development programs, he said.

Of the Rp 2.6 trillion available to the city under the revised
budget, Rp 1.56 trillion, or about 60 percent, has been generated
by the administration itself, with the balance coming from the
central government.

Helmy A.R. Syihab, the chairman of the council's commission
for financial affairs, said earlier this week that the city
administration should find more tax objects in order to raise the
city's revenues.

He proposed a number of new taxes, including one on people who
apply for land ownership documents and another on individuals or
companies that operate their own power generators. (32)