Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš has submitted the 2004 draft of the state budget to the cabinet. The draft, which predicts a budget deficit of Sk61.5 billion (€1.46 billion), with expenditures of Sk310 billion (€7.38 billion), on an income of Sk250 billion (€5.95 billion).
Expected to discuss the draft within three weeks, the cabinet's ministers will decide on the distribution of Sk51 billion (€1.2 billion), which is intended to finance the priorities of the various state ministries. However, the claims of the ministries are about Sk8 billion (€190.5 million) higher than the allocation inlcuded in the draft.
Mikloš is hopeful that his colleagues understand that the priority is to keep the public finance deficit at 3.9 percent of GDP, which translates into a Sk 50.4 billion (€1.2 billion) public finance deficit.
Compiled by Beata Balogová from press reports
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