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Russia may reach deficit-free budget by year-end-FM

According to estimates, the annual deficit shrank from 1.5 percent from the total volume of the GDP to 0.3 percent

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

WASHINGTON, April 22 (Itar-Tass) — Russia may reach a deficit-free budget by the results of the current year, said on Saturday Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluyanov, leading the Russian delegation at a meeting of finance ministers and central bankers of the G20 countries as well as at a session of governing bodies of the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which were held in the American capital.

“According to our estimates, the annual deficit shrank from 1.5 percent from the total volume of the GDP to 0.3 percent. Given this economic situation persists up to the year-end, it is probable that our budget may be again deficit-free,” Silyanov said in an interview with a small group of reporters on the results of the past meetings.

He also added that “taking into account the macroeconomic situation, we calculated additional revenues we can get this year”. According to the minister’s words, all in all, this will be 107 billion roubles.

“Slightly over 60 billion roubles out of this sum account for the share of revenues from the oil and gas industries, and another 47 billion roubles will make up resources, found thanks to redistribution of funds inside the budget,” the minister stated.

Siluyanov believes it important that “all oil and gas revenues will be channelled to the Reserve Fund, or to cut volumes of domestic borrowings”. In the minister’s words, “this is principally important to preserve positive macroeconomic indicators rather than to boost our outlays”.

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