September 24 (SeeNews) - The Slovenian parliament approved a revision of this year's budget envisaging a 4.2 billion euro ($4.9 billion) coronavirus-prompted gap, equivalent to 9.3% of the projected gross domestic product (GDP), local media reported.
The parliament passed the budget revision on Wednesday, state news agency STA reported.
The government revised this year's budget bill in late August, saying that revenue is expected to drop 15% compared to the original plan, to 9.2 billion euro, as a result of lower consumption, a drop in employment and worse corporate results amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Budget expenditure is projected to jump by 29% compared to the original budget bill, reaching 13.4 billion euro because of higher government spending on measures aimed at helping citizens and companies weather the crisis.
State support for fighting the coronavirus impact will reach some 3.1 billion euro this year, the government said earlier.
Slovenia's economic output is expected to shrink by 6.7% this year due to the coronavirus crisis, government analysts said on Wednesday, revising their June forecast for a deeper 7.6% fall in 2020 gross domestic product (GDP).
($=0.859001 euro)