Belarussian leader endorses budget-2011 with 3% deficit.

MINSK, October 16 (Itar-Tass) - Belarussian President Alexander
Lukashenko on Friday endorsed the law on the republic's budget with a
deficit of 3 percent of the GDP.
The document takes into account the amendments to the Tax Code which
streamline the tax system. The tax burden for Belarus' citizens is to ease
by 0.4 percent next year.
The budget was drawn up on the assumption that the republic's GDP will
increase 10 percent next year and the inflation rate will pace at 8
percent.
According to director of the Finance Ministry's department for budget
policy Maxim Yermolovich, the budget envisions unprecedented spending on
welfare programs.
"Expenditure on education, health care and social policies will
increase by 40 percent next year although overall budget expenditure will
only increase by 18 percent. It is an unprecedented increase in spending
on the social sphere: there'll be an increase in wages, benefits, and
subsides for utility and transport services," Yermolovich told reporters.
Next year's budget envisions considerable support for the
manufacturing sector, in particular it has reserved funds for government
programs in agriculture, subsidies on interest rates on loans, and more
intensive leasing.