BELGRADE (Serbia), May 4 (SeeNews) – Serbia's government plans to start on May 7 the payment of three minimum monthly salaries to employees of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) as part of its economic support package designed to cushion the impact of the coronavirus crisis, finance minister Sinisa Mali said on Monday.
The government has received applications from about 237,000 employers and will pay 750 euro ($820) to about 1.1 million employees of MSMEs, Mali said in a press release.
Serbian citizens older than 18 years will also be able to apply between May 15 and and June 5 for a 100 euro one-off payment in compensation for the restrictions imposed to limit the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Mali noted.
The government has deferred the payment of taxes and contributions worth 29.5 billion dinars combined, which will be paid in 24 instalments as of 2021, he added.
On March 31, Serbia's government introduced a 5.1 billion euro financial package for the support of its economy, or 50% of the 2020 budget. The package includes a 2 billion euro guarantee scheme for loans extended by commercial banks.
The government revised last month the 2020 budget, increasing the projected fiscal deficit to 381 billion dinars ($3.51 billion/3.24 billion euro) in order to cover the costs of measures aimed at limiting the impact of the coronavirus crisis.
($ = 0.914655 euro)