In 2009 budget revenues will be up 20% over 2008

In 2009 the budget revenues are projected to increase 20% over 2008. As BelTA was told in the presidential press service, the 2009 draft budget issues were on the agenda of a meeting between President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky. The 2009 budget parameters are based on the projections of the 10-12% GDP growth and 9-11% inflation. In 2009 the revenues are expected to increase by 20% over 2008. Alexander Lukashenko instructed the Government to optimise the budget expenditures: they should not increase by more than 10%. In 2009 the government is set to reduce the tax burden by 1.2% of GDP. As a result the companies will retain around Br1.4 trillion in their budgets. In the State of the Nation Address in April the President of Belarus set the target before the Government to raise the wages to $700 in equivalent by 2010. Proceeding from these parameters, wages in the public sector in Belarus will average $430 by the end of 2008, $550 by the end of 2009. The average wages in the real production sector will be equal to $600-630. Alexander Lukashenko also urged to see to it that all social programmes are financed in full in 2009. Pension benefits should be growing at the same pace as wages. The President urged to observe this rule unswervingly. Sergei Sidorsky informed that pensions will be indexed one more time by the end of the year. As for the costs of energy imports in 2009, the Government of Belarus estimates that the cost of Russian gas for Belarus will be $140 per one thousand cubic metres. Sergei Sidorsky reminded that Russia postponed the plan to level the domestic and export prices. The Prime Minister informed the Head of State that these issues will be discussed at the next session of the Union State Council of Ministers June 27. The meeting is also expected to consider the integration of the two countries, Union State property, ensuring equal rights of citizens.