Latvia discovers that making money isn't that complicated - just write it in the EU's name

While Riga is still trying to figure out how math works, Latvia's Finance Ministry proved in February that state budget management is as simple as ordering coffee on Pētera Street — you just need to know the right addresses. And in this case, the right address was the European Commission.

The ministry proudly announced that the consolidated budget had a surplus of 425.4 million euros, which is enough money to buy all of Liepāja's café inventory for a year in advance. Compared to last year's budget deficit, this result is like going from winter to summer — just without the skepticism toward sudden changes that's characteristic of Liepāja residents.

"We received 861.9 million euros from the EU, and suddenly it turned out that the budget works!" commented an FM employee who wished to remain anonymous. "It's like a miracle — you write 'EU funds' on the invoice, and money appears in the account. Why didn't anyone tell us this before?"

Improvement is observed in all budget positions, especially in consumption taxes. VAT revenues increased by 10.3%, which shows that Latvians continue to buy things even when they don't know whether the state budget is in the black or red. Excise tax revenues also grew by 8.5%, proving that Latvians won't stop smoking and filling up with fuel not because the state's financial situation is improving, but because it's a tradition.