Latvia: budget deficit at 4.5% of GDP in 2020

In 2020, general government budget deficit accounted for EUR 1.3 billion or 4.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and general government consolidated gross debt amounted to EUR 12.7 billion or 43.5% of the GDP. Under the impact of Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 general government revenues, compared to 2019, reduced by 0.4% and comprised EUR…

Estonia: unemployment up in March 2021

Registered unemployment rose from 5.8% to 8.7% YoY as of the end of the first quarter of 2021, particularly in more rural counties, which had been hit hard by the ongoing economic effects of the pandemic even if their reported coronavirus rates were not as high as other areas. Women, too, have been hit more…

Kyrgyzstan: new Tax Code to be developed

An interdepartmental working group was formed to develop a draft of a new version of the Tax Code, the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Kyrgyzstan reported. The main goal is to adapt the tax legislation of Kyrgyzstan to modern economic conditions and create favorable conditions for activities of taxpayers. It is planned to simplify…

Tajikistan: cooperation with Iran to be expanded

A meeting of Tajik Deputy Finance Minister, Yusuf Majidi, with Iranian Deputy Minister of Energy for International Affairs, Mohammad Ali Farahnakian, took place in Dushanbe on April 15. According to the Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the two reportedly discussed issues related to further expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation between Tajikistan and Iran.…