Treasury Minister insists that zl.18 billion privatization target can be met

Treasury Minister Aldona Kamela-Sowinska has insisted that reaching the projected zl.18 billion target for privatization revenue this year is still realistic. However, many economists are not so optimistic. They say that the zl.18 billion target can only be reached if two major privatization deals, involving TPSA and PZU, are closed, which is by no means certain. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Jaroslaw Bauc has said that even if the income is zl.6 billion less than predicted, the government will still have a "liquidity reserve". Up to the end of July, revenue from privatization amounted to zl.2.4 billion. According to Rzeczpospolita estimates, sales of shares in companies whose privatization is planned by the Treasury this year, with the exception of TPSA and PZU, may generate an additional zl.5 billion to zl.6.5 billion. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B4) K.K.