Soon, oh, soon...

Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said on July 9 that wages and incomes will rise again in 2010 after declining this year. Pensions will also increase, by as much as 42-45%. According to Kudrin, GDP next year could grow by one percent, Interfax reports. And based on this it will be possible to calculate the budget. Previously, the Ministry of Finance stated that the 2010 budget should be calculated based on a forecast of zero GDP growth. And now it is expected that growth will not stop, the minister said, and in 2011-2012 it could reach 3.5%. Kudrin added that the forecast is being updated, and the next update will be made at the end of August.

But this year everything is not fun: income tax revenues will be reduced by 50-60%, the minister said, since the profits of enterprises will be reduced by the same 50-60%. In addition, Russia will receive $190 billion less from exports this year compared to last year. Import purchases will decrease by $100 billion.