In this regard, top priority must be given to: •  ensuring consistency in the execution of the 2014 Budget, thereby providing a strong signal that the fiscal adjustment is sustainable;  •  markedly upgrading the tax administration and the tax collection mechanism;  •  speeding up the resolution of tax cases pending before the courts;  •  cutting red-tape and the administrative burden on the private sector;  •  enhancing the quality of public services;  •  evaluating the performance of public services and civil servants according to transparent and objective criteria; and  •  further strengthening the institutional framework for budget preparation, execution and monitoring.
Financing the economic recovery With the start of the fiscal crisis in 2009 and the deep recession that followed, both the supply and demand for credit contracted sharply. Against this backdrop, banks’ lending capacity was inevitably constrained, as the fiscal crisis strongly affected the credit ratings of both the country and domestic banks.