Parliament Intends To Approve 2006 Budget.

The Ukrainian Parliament voted in favor of the 2006 Budget draft in its first reading. The final version of the budget is subject to revision. The Parliament is expected to return to the budget issue by the end of November. In the draft, budget revenues were set at USD 23.5 bln with expenditures of USD 25.2 bln and a deficit of USD1.7 bln (2% of GDP). The proposed budget has been calculated estimating GDP growth at 7% and inflation of 8.7%.