The nearest Cabinet session, of Thursday next, will debate central budget indices and highlight top priorities, added the Finance Minister.
Next year's federal revenues are expected at 3,103 billion roubles, and expenditures 2,916 billion. Mr. Kudrin enumerated top priorities for 2005-to cut unified social taxation, distribute financial competences between the federal centre, regional administrations and local self-government bodies and, last but not least, keep up education, health services and research.
The Finance Ministry made public more precise budget statistics for this year, yesterday. Federal revenues are expected at 3,029,117,100,000 roubles, or 19.3% of the gross domestic product-as against previous 2,742,850,400,000, 17.9% of the GDP.
Expenditures will make 2,650,768,100,000 roubles-16.9% of the GDP, as against 2,659,447 million, or 17,4% of the GDP.
The budget surplus is prognosticated to exceed blueprints of the Budget 2004 Law close on fivefold. According to forecasts, it will make 2.4% of the GDP, or 378,349 million roubles, instead of a previously expected 0.5% GDP-83,403.4 million.
The new calculations proceed from the present-day rouble/US dollar rate, R29.1/$1, while the budget was drawn proceeding from R31.3/$1.
The stabilisation fund will make 417,061.5 million roubles by the year's end, says an updated forecast. The initial was at a mere 189,400.3 million.
