Azerbaijan, Baku, 25 September / Trend corr. I.Khalilova / The Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers approved draft public budget for 2009 and recommended it to submit to the President's Administration. A version, which the Ministry of Finance offered, was adopted at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers under Premier Artur Rasizade's chairmanship.
Under the draft document, the public budget income amounts to AZN 12.177mln with a rise of 16.1% and expenditure - AZN 12.355mln (11.7%), the Ministry said. Calculation of budgetary forecasts was held at oil price of $70 per barrel.
The public budget will remain of social character in 2009 and it has assignments to solve social issues, Samir Sharifov, the Finance Minister said.
At the same time it is planned to finance enterprises to increase defense potential of the country, to realize foreign policy, as well as to solve issues of different spectrum to realize the earlier adopted State program on reliable supply of the Azerbaijani people with food products (2008-2015).
In 2008 the public budget income was confirmed at AZN 10.484mln level, rising by 74.5% as compared to figures in 2007 and by 41.8% as compared to previous forecasts in 2008 and expenditure - AZN 11.060.6mln (by 81.7% and 29.8% respectively). Deficit of the public budget will make up AZN 576.6mln or 1.8% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
About AZN 1.344bln was spent to strengthen defense potential of the country in 2008 and AZN 814.25mln - to social protection.
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