| The government has approved approximate income and expenses for the next three years The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade again lacked money. The main parameters of the financial plan for 2007-2009, approved yesterday at a meeting of the budget commission chaired by Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, in the opinion of the country's chief economist German Gref, recklessly fix the minimum investment expenses. According to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the missing funds for 2007 alone amount to about 100 billion rubles. Accordingly, this situation is extrapolated to 2008-2009.
Moreover, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade requires this money not for an investment fund or even for national projects - all these expenses stand apart. And for the implementation of federal target programs. Such as “Transition to recruiting contract soldiers for a number of military units”, “Modernization of the transport system”, “Development of the defense complex of the Russian Federation until 2015”, “Development of the nuclear weapons complex”, etc. In general, the Ministry of Finance has planned 593.3 billion rubles for public investment next year. Plus a separate investment fund in the amount of 96 billion rubles (currently, we recall, it amounts to 69.7 billion rubles). The federal budget intends to spend 196.6 billion rubles on the implementation of national projects in 2007.
Apart from the rather serious disagreements regarding 100 billion rubles that remain between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, we can say that, in general, the departments have agreed on the main parameters of the three-year financial plan for the medium term. The Ministry of Finance found money in the coffers of the Motherland, or, as they say in the White House, “mobilized additional resources.” And therefore, the income forecasts for 2007 for the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economic Development are practically the same - the difference is only 1.6 billion rubles. The estimate of the Ministry of Finance is 6 trillion 900 million rubles, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade is 6 trillion 2 billion 500 million rubles (until yesterday, the Ministry of Finance set a more conservative forecast of income - 68 billion rubles less).
True, for 2008 the difference in estimates becomes more noticeable - 25.6 billion rubles. According to the Ministry of Finance, revenues will be 6 trillion 493 billion 500 million rubles. According to the forecast of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade - 6 trillion 519 billion 100 million rubles. And in 2009, estimates diverge even more noticeably - by 148.8 billion rubles. The estimate of the Ministry of Finance is 7 trillion 34 billion 200 million rubles, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade is 7 trillion 183 billion rubles.
In the dispute between the chief financier and the chief economist, the prime minister this time supported the former. And along with it comes a conservative version of the financial plan. Moreover, Mikhail Fradkov did not even delay making a decision on the forecast for 2008-2009. Although German Gref asked not to send guidelines for these years to the subjects, but to give the main parameters only for 2007. And the governors will now receive a conservative version from the Ministry of Finance.
However, the Ministry of Economic Development still has a platform for resistance. The Ministry of Finance invited Mr. Gref to submit an updated forecast of socio-economic development for 2007-2009 by May 10, and to consider it at a meeting of the budget commission on May 17. Vera KUZNETSOVA |
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