MOSCOW, September 30 (Itar-Tass) - A three-year draft budget fully envisions the monetary funds for the fulfillment of the Russian presidential decrees issued on May 7, 2012. These budget allocations make more than 2.1 trillion rubles, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in the Kremlin on Monday before the main Russian financial document is submitted in the parliament.
“The monetary funds are taken into account fully to fulfill the Russian presidential decrees issued on May 7, 2012. The budget funds have made more than 2.1 trillion rubles for three years,” the finance minister said.
He acknowledged that the budget for 2014-2016 “turned out to be quite difficult in view of the current macroeconomic situation and the situation outlined in the forecasts.” “However, the budget is drafted with due account of the budget rules, which we had adopted with those limits on expenditure set in the budget policy. This is the so-called non-oil and gas deficit, but not overstated expenditure and consistent reduction. This is very important,” Siluanov said.
In his words, the so-called budget maneuver was made to solve the main problems and new tasks related with the May presidential decrees and new programs. The budget maneuver envisioned several solutions to increase revenues and the measures to redistribute the expenditures. “We have cut the spending on state purchases, referring to the reduction in physical and monetary terms, because we agreed that the costs should be reduced in state purchases,” the finance minister explained, adding that the pension reform, the reform of the health care and education systems were taken into account in the planning of the draft budget.
Siluanov named the drafting of the budget made of programs as a new provision of the three-year budget. “According to the programs we can already supervise the efficiency of budget resources, estimate how the results with some budget allocations provided for them are achieved,” he said. “It is also important for parliamentary control, because we are working with the deputies of the State Duma, they are participating directly at the stage of drafting state programs and the stage of their fulfillment,” he noted.
However, he voiced concern over the drafting of budgets in Russian constituent entities. “In current conditions, when the income tax revenues are falling, many Russian constituent entities can hardly make the budget balanced. In this regard, we have prepared the proposals to increase the financial aid to the regions and the proposals to step up the formation of their income base. We are working on these proposals with the deputies of the State Duma,” the finance minister informed the president.
“Are you gathering the information on what benefits the regions provide over the income tax?” Putin asked.
“Yes, we do. On the transport tax, the land tax either. The benefits are also needed sometimes. We should consider their efficiency. We seek for this in Russian constituent entities,” Siluanov replied.