Statistics Committee posts budget surplus figures

The surplus of the federal budget dropped to 1.5 percent of the GDP and amounted to 156.2bn rubles (about $4.9bn) in 2002, the State Statistics Committee reported. In 2001 the surplus of the federal budget was 3 percent of the GDP. Revenues of the federal budget grew from 1.594 trillion rubles in 2001 to 2.202 trillion rubles (about $69bn) last year, which was 20.3 percent of the GDP. Some 1.696 trillion rubles (about $53bn) of this sum were tax revenues. The federal budget's expenses increased from 1.322 trillion rubles in 2001 to 2.046 trillion rubles (about $64bn) in 2002, which was 18.8 percent of the GDP.