The law on delimiting specific prerogatives and on the monetization of non-cash privileges shall enter into force January 1, 2005; public-sector wages are to go up 20 percent, as well; consequently, some of the Russian Federation's constituent members will face really serious problems next year, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov noted.
The Ministry of Finance has asked the Government to disburse these means as additional financial aid among some Russian territories, which are having trouble implementing their respective budgets at this stage, Mr. Fradkov told those present. Their preparations for work in conditions of delimited prerogatives show that such territories should better receive additional financial resources for the sake of coping with their objectives, Mr. Fradkov stressed.
The Ministry of Finance suggests spending six billion rubles, which were saved within the framework of separate budgetary items this year, on additional financial aid to other budgetary-system tiers, Russia's Minister of Finance Alexei Kudrin noted. Another 300 million rubles should be spent on additional regional social-security appropriations for those people, who became irradiated as a result of the April 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, he said.
These proposals are stipulated by a system of measures being approved by us within the framework of the 122nd law (as regards social-benefit payments) on delimiting prerogatives and providing Russian territories with sources of revenue, Mr. Kudrin added.
Additional financial aid to Russian regions is called on to help them reduce social expenses to the greatest possible extent in conditions of switching over to a new system of inter-budgetary relations, Mr. Kudrin stressed in conclusion.
