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View Full Version : Budget talks start today



NewsWhore
11-20-2008, 04:51 PM
President Leonel Fernandez will head up a meeting of the National Development Council (CND) to start discussing the budget law for 2009. The meeting will examine and analyze budget requests from the Ministries, autonomous organizations and decentralized government entities. The meeting between the Ministers, administrators and director generals of all state dependencies was set for 9 o'clock this morning in the Government Cabinet Chamber.
According to Diario Libre, the estimated total for the 2009 budget has not been released. Hacienda Minister Vicente Bengoa said at the beginning of the week that the budget proposal has not been submitted to Congress for approval because it had to be recalculated due to the world financial crisis and the new element of declining fuel prices. The lawmakers are also asking for more time for proper analysis.
Bengoa pointed out that the institutions in charge of working out the budget, the Central Bank and the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development, had to make changes to the first draft. It is expected that President Fernandez will discuss aspects related to the requests from the ministries, such as Education and Public Works during the meeting. Provincial governors and city mayors are also calling for increased funding.
At the same time, nurses' and doctors' demands for salary increases will also be considered.
The 2008 National Budget totaled RD$300,889,000,000, of which RD$264 billion were generated internally and RD$36 billion came from outside sources.

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