The minister added that all the laws amending the tax system, including cuts in the unified social tax, and also excise and property tax issues necessary for drafting and submitting the 2005 budget have been coordinated and adopted.
In his words, "on Saturday, the first part of the tax legislation was adopted [in the lower house]," which should improve access to housing for the population and facilitate the mortgage mechanism.
"Therefore, all the necessary amendments were adopted then, and we can now submit the 2005 budget," said Kudrin.
Minister of Health and Social Development Mikhail Zurabov reported to Vladimir Putin about the situation around children's holidays.
"As for financing children's sanitary holidays for the overwhelming majority of children, everything is proceeding according to the plan," he said.
"As of August 1, 1.2 million people spent their holidays in sanatoriums and sanitary resorts in the countryside," he said.
As for Chechen children's holidays, Zurabov said that over 11,000 children from Chechnya had had their holidays.
He noted that additional funds would be allocated for these purposes before the end of August. "Details are now being discussed as to where holidays will be organized," said Zurabov. In his words, it will most likely be the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories, or Kabardino-Balkaria (southern Russia).
