Interest payments top education, healthcare in Ankara’s 2022 budget
Funds allocated to interest payments account for 13% of all spending in Ankara’s draft budget for next year, outstripping education and healthcare spending.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many people's view of government budgets, with the focus shifting from deficits to cushioning the fallout of the pandemic.
Amid rising public needs for healthcare and economic support, many governments have put the emphasis on social well-being, braving larger budget deficits. Yet, others, like the Turkish government, have been tightfisted, keeping deficits in check but forcing millions of citizens into debt.
The Turkish parliament is now debating the government’s draft budget for 2022, which reflects an ongoing stinginess on the part of Ankara, although the pandemic is far from over and many people still need state support. Moreover, funds allocated to interest payments outstrip the planned spending on education and healthcare, while funds allocated to the military and the police remain uncut.
The draft budget is expected to easily pass parliament, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party and its de facto ally, the Nationalist Movement Party, hold a comfortable majority.
