Moscow regional government approves 2003 budget

The government of the Moscow region approved the 2003 budget at a meetingtoday. According to reports from the press service of the regionalgovernor, the total volume of budget revenues was set at more than 43.987bnrubles (about $1.39bn) and expenditures were budgeted at about 46.614bnrubles ($1.47bn). The regional authorities set the maximum budget deficitfor next year at about 2.627bn rubles ($83m), or 6.6 percent, which issimilar to the budget deficit expected in 2002.The priority items in budget expenditures in 2003 will be salaries, studentallowances, the repayment of the regional debt and some other items..