First Deputy Minister of Finance Giorgi Kakauridze has firmly rejected recent claims of budgetary delays, stating that not only is Georgia's budget execution on track, it is actually surpassing expectations.

“There are currently no delays in budget execution; on the contrary, it is being exceeded,” Kakauridze declared.

He criticized the spread of what he described as deliberate misinformation, calling efforts to portray financial instability a “deliberate deception of the public.”

“We’ve heard baseless allegations suggesting that the Revenue Service is pressuring businesses to pay taxes in advance—this is entirely false,” he said. “Such a situation is simply not possible. Regarding the so-called issue with ‘other taxes,’ companies routinely pay income tax with employee salaries, which falls under this category and is reported by the 15th of the following month. Businesses are fully aware of this process. These claims serve no real purpose beyond misleading the public.”

While acknowledging a shortfall in excise tax revenues, Kakauridze attributed it to regulatory changes impacting the tobacco industry.

“The only area where we've observed a notable decline is in excise duty,” he explained. “This is due to the new tobacco regulations introduced this year, which have temporarily reduced import volumes compared to previous first quarters. Additionally, many companies were working through existing stockpiles. We fully expect this gap to be resolved in the coming months.”

Kakauridze’s comments come amid growing scrutiny of government fiscal performance, but he maintained that Georgia’s financial management remains stable and transparent.