July 13 (Reuters) - Here are details of austerity measures taken because of the financial crisis across some western and emerging European countries.
* BOSNIA
-- In order to secure a 1.2 billion euro ($1.68 billion) loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Bosnia's central cabinet must envisage savings in the 2010 budget, while its two autonomous regions have already proposed revised 2009 budgets.
-- The Serb Republic slashed its budget by 4 percent to 1.6 billion marka ($1.15 billion). The Muslim-Croat federation agreed to cut by 10 percent benefits to government employes and war veterans and invalids. The parliaments of the two respective regions must adopt the proposed budget cuts in August.
-- The country also increased excise taxes to boost budget revenues by close to 300 million marka a year to help offset the fall in revenues caused by the global economic downturn that has cut production and exports.
* BRITAIN
-- The government has announced some tax increases for future years, but not enough to rein in ballooning public sector borrowing. In his budget in April, Finance Minister Alistair Darling announced he would raise the top rate of tax for those earning more than 150,000 pounds ($243,000) to 50 percent from 40 percent from April 2010. In addition, those earning more than 100,000 pounds will lose tax free allowances.
* BULGARIA
-- In 2008, Bulgaria's outgoing Socialist-led coalition decided to limit 2009 spending to 90 percent of budgeted amount. Data, however, showed that spending had surged 22 percent by the end of April, while revenues dropped over 5 percent. The IMF and the central bank urged Sofia for more drastic cuts to avoid slipping into deficit.
In early June, the cabinet introduced new cuts of about 500 million levs ($360.8 million) by cutting ministers' pay by 15 percent and freezing a planned 10 percent hike in public sector salaries. It also cut costs on business trips and limited spending on mobile phone bills, new cars and air conditioners. The cabinet gave a green light to a planned 9 percent rise in pensions.
* CROATIA
-- Croatia, an EU candidate enforced a set of budget cuts in March, including a freeze on a previously agreed six percent wage rise for more than 150,000 public sector employees.
-- Teachers and doctors initially threatened to go on strike but later accepted the government's promise that salaries would be gradually increased once the economy starts recovering.
-- The government insists it can manage its public finances without turning to the IMF for help. In May, it issued a 750 million Eurobond to refinance maturing debt and finance part of the budget gap.
* ESTONIA
-- Parliament backed last month budget savings of 6 billion kroons ($535 million), which the country needs to stay on track for euro entry in 2011 amid a deep recession. Parliament also passed a 2 percentage point increase in value added tax to 20 percent and increased the excise duties on motor fuel.
* HUNGARY
-- Hungary has pledged spending cuts of 1,300 billion forints ($6.43 billion) in 2009 and 2010 to prevent a deficit overshoot. This responded to conditions imposed by the IMF and the EU, which provided Hungary with a $25.1 billion stand-by loan last October, but said the deficit had to stay below 3 percent of GDP for 2009.
-- Since then, conditions have been eased and Hungary can go to a deficit of 3.9 pct/GDP in 2009 and 3.8 pct/GDP in 2010 to allow for a faster recovery from crisis.
-- Other measures include scrapping extra public sector wages and freezing nominal public sector pay for two years, cutting pensions sharply. Parliament passed legislation to hike the main VAT rate to 25 percent from 20 percent as of July and has also introduced a special 18 percent rate on basic foodstuffs.