THE CITY OF NOVI SAD ASSEMBLEY APPROVES 2025 BUDGET

Today, Žarko Mićin, the Mayor of Novi Sad, spoke to the public after the City Assembly approved the City's 2025 Budget, which totals 44.51 billion dinars. He wished those hurt in the Kočani tragedy a quick recovery and offered his condolences to the relatives of the deceased. After stressing that the City of Novi Sad will give the victims' families 10 million dinars from the Budget, he went on to underline the key points of the Draft Decision on the City Budget for 2025 that was presented to the councilors.

- Novi Sad's progress is our mission, and it is our responsibility to complete it! We are excited about the many projects we plan to carry out in 2025, which will help to improve living conditions in Novi Sad as well as in suburban communities. Since taking over the City's management in 2012, we have made significant progress, and thanks to sound leadership and sound decision-making, we have increased the City's finances by 2.5 times. The fact that the Budget for 2025 is expected to reach 44 billion 515 million dinars, an increase of up to 27.5 billion dinars over 2012, is the best indication that we have performed well - said Žarko Mićin and referred to the structure of Budget revenues.

The Mayor stated that the largest part of the budget is made up of tax revenues, which are planned to amount to 31.15 billion dinars in 2025, and are 9.1% higher than in 2024.

- Total tax revenues are 20 billion higher than in 2012, and it is particularly significant that the tax on profit, income and capital gains continued its permanent growth, and was determined in the amount of 22.9 billion dinars, which is three times more than in 2012, when this type of revenue amounted to 7.7 billion dinars - said Mićin and added - All these are clear indicators that the City has increased its revenue from income and profit taxes by as much as 15 billion dinars over the past decade.

Out of the total of 22.9 billion, income tax amounts to 18.95 billion dinars, which is an increase of 9.86% compared to 2024. This means that we have a larger number of employees and a constant increase in salaries. Likewise, the income from property tax has increased drastically, because Novi Sad has been developing and building, there are more business premises and apartments.

The Mayor pointed out that in 2025 the City budget has been increased in all areas.

- We are allocating 3.84 billion dinars for social and child protection, of which 2.61 billion for family and child care. Environmental protection is high on the list of our priorities, as evidenced by the allocation of 3.46 billion dinars. We have also increased the budget for education, which totals 8.9 billion dinars, and we continue to build kindergartens and schools. Novi Sad is a City of culture, and therefore the budget for culture is the largest in the history of the City, and one of the most significant projects will be the development of the Almaški City district. Novi Sad is both a City of sports and a City of youth, and in 2025, 931.9 million dinars will be allocated from the Budget for the support and development of sports and support for youth activities. Since the stabilization of water supply is one of our main priorities in the coming period, the budget has foreseen around 280 million dinars for the regeneration of the well at the "Ratno Ostrvo" spring, the injection of new drains at the "Strand" spring and the exploratory drilling of a new well at Petrovaradinska Ada, the first in 25 years. We expect that these works will provide additional and necessary quantities of water - said the Mayor.

Mayor Mićin also emphasized that, thanks to the constant growth of revenues, the City will continue its strong investment cycle and that the Budget for 2025 has a developmental character.

- The capital projects we are implementing in 2025 are worth 10.6 billion dinars, or 90.6 million euros, which is 23.87% of the total Budget funds - said Mićin.

Additionally, he stated specific projects that will be carried out, such as the hard landscaping of a portion of the city center, the completion of the Majevica heating plant, the construction of a new school and kindergarten in the "Jugovićevo" community, the construction of the "Bistrica" cultural station, the reconstruction of the cultural centers in Budisava and Ledinci, the construction of a water supply network in Begeč community, the development of a playground for the "Roda" kindergarten in Veternik, the completion of the construction and furnishing of the "Laza Kostić" Grammar School gym, the creation of children's playgrounds, the landscaping of the area on the corner of Žarka Zrenjanina, Vladike Platona, and Jovana Đorđevića streets, and the reconstruction of the Local Community buildings in Futog and the police station in Kać.

Novi Sad, 18th March 2025