Ministry of Finance: Budget deficit to total 1.5% of GDP in 2010

The budget deficit will total 1.5% of the gross domestic product in Belarus in 2010. The Belarusian Minister of Finance Andrei Harkavets has informed about it presenting the project of the budget prepared by the Ministry of Finance for 2010. In his opinion, the budget income will be Br 49.6 trillion in 2010 and the budget expenses will total Br 42.3 trillion or 1.5% of the GDP.
According to the project, the republican budget’s expenses will total Br 21.46 trillion in 2010 without subsidies for cheaper import of petroleum and expenses needed to compensate for interest rates for lax credits. Expenses of local budgets will reach Br 24 trillion which is 7% more than planned for 2009, reports  an information agency “Interfax”.