Syrian government reduces budget's deficiency despite increase in expenditures

The Syrian official news Agency SANA said on Sunday that the government on Saturday proposed to the People's Assembly ( Parliament) the budget for the year 2001 which expects a reduction in the budget deficit at a rate of 25%, coupled with increase in expenditures at 16.9%.

" The assets estimated at the state general budget for the year 2001 reached 322000 million Syrian pounds ( US $ 7 billion) and the general revenues at the budget was estimated at 312798 million Syrian pounds ( US $ 6.8 billion), against 263141 million Syrian pounds in the budget of the year 2000, representing an increase of 49657 million Syrian pounds."

However, the value of expected discrepancy for the year 2001 was estimated at 9.2 billion Syrian pounds ( US $ 200 million), representing less than 25 % of the rate estimated for the current year estimated at 12,25 billion Syrian pounds ( US $ 266 million).

However, the value of expenditures expected for the year 2001 increases at 16.9% over the figures of the year 2000 expected at 175.4 billion Syrian pounds ( US $ 5.9 billion).

Current expenditures are estimated at 123680 million Syrian pounds ( US $ 2.7 billion), a sum of 161000 million Syrian pounds ( US $ 3,5 billion) for investment operations and a sum of 37320 million Syrian pounds ( US $ 811 million) for paying the public debts, discrepancy and contribution to fixing prices."