Duma Passes 2002 Draft Budget On Second Reading

The State Duma, or the lower parliamentary house, adopted Friday the draft 2002 budget on the second reading. A draft resolution recommends the government and the Duma budget and tax committee to prepare proposals for a third reading - the ones on indexing rent rates for all categories of land and redistributing the indicated funds in favour of regions as well as on amending the legislation in effect. Specification of the land rent rate is connected with the adoption of the Land Code this year. A third reading scheduled for November 30 will deal with the redistribution of expenditures within the federal budget sections.