Parliament Approves Increase of Budgetary Expenditures

On May 20 the Georgian Parliament unanimously approved the draft amendments to the 2005 state budget, envisaging an increase of expenditures by 86.8 million Lari. As a result of this maneuver, total budgetary expenditures for 2005 reached 2.7 billion Lari (about USD 1.5 billion).
 
40 million Lari (approximately USD 21.8 million), out of the 86.8 million Lari, will be spent on flood relief measures. About 46 million Lari (approximately USD 25.1 million) will be allocated to the Defense Ministry to be spent on customs dues for the import of unspecified equipment which has recently been purchased by the Defense Ministry.
 
This is the third time in the past two years that the Georgian Parliament has amended the state budget. Last August the state budget was increased by 223 million Lari, while this April ? by 446 million Lari. In all three cases, a majority of the increased revenues have been allocated to the defense sector.

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