Revised Draft 2008 Budget in ‘Next Few Weeks’

A revised draft of the 2008 state budget will be submitted to Parliament for consideration “in the next few weeks,” Nika Gilauri, the finance minister, told lawmakers on December 14.

The government, headed by former Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli, submitted the draft 2008 budget to Parliament for consideration in October. New Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze, however, said after his nomination was approved on November 22, that the initial draft needed revision to make it “more socially oriented.”

“Many things have changed since October and the government’s course has also changed… so the draft budget for next year will be presented in the next few weeks,” Finance Minister Gilauri said in Parliament.

The budget for the new fiscal year must, in accordance with the law, be approved by Parliament before the end of the calendar year.

PM Gurgenidze said in an interview with Imedi TV late on December 13 that his cabinet planned to allocate “an additional GEL 300 million for the government’s new social initiatives.”

Earlier he also said that defense spending cuts were on the cards. He did not, however, give details.

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