Myanmar parliament adopts proposal to raise state employees' salaries

Myanmar's Union Parliament on Friday adopted an urgent proposal on raising state employees' salaries beginning the next fiscal year of 2015-16, parliamentarian U Khaing Maung Yee told Xinhua in a telephone interview.

The proposal was passed without objection at the parliament, U Khaing Maung Yee said.

The parliament will continue to undertake to work out details on designation of appropriate minimum wage of workers, he said, quoting Deputy Minister for Finance Dr. Lin Aung.

Myanmar government has allocated 2.9 trillion Kyats (2.82 billion U.S.dollars) for government employees' salaries for 2015- 16 fiscal year, Dr. Lin Aung said, adding that there are 1.4 million government employees in the country.

The government last allowed in January 2014 a pay rise for government employees for 2014-15 to help them address their daily need and improve their living standard and the salaries were increased by 20,000 Kyats (20 U.S. dollars) and pensions and other allowances on a proportional basis.

That was the third time that the present government allowed pay rise since it took office in March 2011.

Myanmar has forecast a continued budget deficit of 5.22 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the next fiscal year of 2015-16 , exceeding the target of 5 percent of GDP deficit recommended by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

A consultation workshop of the 2015-16 pre-state budget has called for bringing the budget deficit growth under control to ensure it does not exceed 5 percent of the GDP.

Myanmar's persistent deficit totaled more than 7.2 trillion Kyats ( 7.2 billion U.S. dollars) for the three previous fiscal years, during which deficit for 2014-15 amounted to 2.751 trillion Kyats, accounting for 4.16 percent of the GDP. Endi