At the required 226 votes, 339 deputies voted for, 96 against with four abstentions.
The first reading means approval of the basic and macroeconomic budgetary parameters.
Thus, the 2005 treasury revenues will be 3,326.08 billion rubles (1 dollar equals 29.22 rubles according to the Central Bank rate), or 17.8 percent of the gross domestic product, expenses will be 3,047.97 billion rubles, or 16.3 percent of the GDP.
The GDP forecast is 18.72 trillion rubles. Inflation is planned to be within 7.5-8.5 percent.
The State Duma's relative statement says that the budgetary excess of receipts over expenses will be 278,111.8 million rubles in 2005.
The basic budgetary parameters have been calculated at the average-annual price of the Urals oil being $28 per barrel, 30 rubles equaling 1 dollar in 2005.
A specificity of the 2005 budget is the increased spending on national defense (27.7% higher that a year before), national security and law-enforcement (26 percent higher).
According to the Finance Ministry, the size of the Stabilization Fund will reach 574.4 billion rubles as of January 1, 2005 and 720 billion rubles as of January 1, 2006.
The State Duma said that the Stabilization Fund money in excess of the accumulated 500 billion rubles could go to cover probable gaps in the performance of the Pension Fund and to add 168 billion rubles in repaying the national foreign debt.
The State Duma draft budget resolution says that in the beginning of next year the Central Bank will begin, after paying the taxes, to transfer 80 percent of its profits to the federal budget.
The State Duma will consider the draft budget in the second reading on October 20, 2004.
