Revised data on budget surplus released

According to preliminary estimates of the Russian Finance Ministry, the federal budget saw a surplus of 900m rubles (about $28.49m) in January and February 2003. According to the ministry's press service, this surplus made up 0.1 percent of the forecasted GDP. The primary surplus was 53.4bn rubles (about $1.69bn), or 3.1 percent of the forecasted GDP.

According to preliminary estimates, the Russian federal budget's revenues totaled 366.1bn rubles (about $11.59bn) over the first two months of this year, which was 66.7 percent of the planned revenues for the first quarter of 2003. Budget expenditures amounted to 365.2bn rubles (about $11.56bn), or 61.9 percent of the planned amount for the first three months of this year.