Myanmar government drives up budget deficit with additional spending

President U Thein Sein’s outgoing government has submitted a supplementary budget request to parliament of K2.464 trillion (US$1.92 billion) with the defence ministry in line to receive the largest allocation, while health and education spending remain close to the bottom of the list.

If approved by parliament, the additional spending would sharply increase the budget deficit at the risk of fuelling inflation and weakening the kyat.

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