The head of state had signed the law about republican budget for year 2008

/INTERFAX-KAZAKHSTAN, Astana, December 4, 07/ - President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev had signed the law "About republican budget for year 2008", earlier approved by the parliament, said the service of the head of state on Tuesday. As it was spread earlier, the income of the republican budget - 2008 is planned at 2 tr. 694 bn. 732.2 m. tenge, the expenses - at 2 tr. 905 bn. 236.2 m. tenge, deficit - at 210 bn. 503.9 m. tenge, which makes 1.4% to the volume of GDP, expected in 2008. Nominal amount of GDP in 2008 is forecasted at the level of 15 tr. 249.9 bn. tenge. At that, GDP per capita, as expected, would reach $7994, which should exceed the similar indicator of this year by 19.2%. Current exchange rate is 120.83/$1. For the budget expenses of social block including the fields of education, health protection, culture, sport, social payments in 2008 are presupposed at 932.2 bn. tenge (32.3% of the total volume of expenses side), which is more that similar expenses in the republican budget of the current year by 142.4 bn. tenge. The size of pension in 2008 will be indexed by 9%. At that, starting from the next year, the minimal amount of pension in the republic will total KZT7900, the amount of base pension payment has been increased from KZT3000 to KZT4210 and, as a result, average size pension will grow by 25.7%. Due to increase in the amount of living cost of living from KZT8861 to KZT10515, the amount of state social disability grants, benefits because of loss of bread-winner, those of age. In addition to that, increased are nonrecurred state allowances due to birth of a child from 15 to 90 monthly calculation indexes (MCI), and also the monthly allowance on care of children at the age prior to one year. One MCI has been set at KZT1168. In the republican budget-2008 for development of the objects of social field, KZT180.8 bn. has been planned: for provision of the population with drinking water - KZY28.4 bn, to provide accessibility of housing within the realization of state program of housing construction - KZT103.7 bn., for development of transport infrastructure - KZT109.4 bn. For realization of the strategy of industrial and innovational development and break through projects in the economy, KZT111.8 bn. were stipulated, from them, KZT103.7 would go for the increase in the authorized capital of the Fund of steady development "Kazyna". Moreover, in the republican budget-2008, stipulated are: KZT158.6 bn for development of Astana, KZT81.5 bn. - to finance investment projects of Almaty (Alma-Aty, former capital of Kazakhstan). Republican budget-2008 is based on the next macroeconomic forecasts: estimated exchange rate of tenge to the U.S. dollar on average over the year - 121.1/$1, average annual index of global price on oil of Brent - $60 per barrel. In Kazakhstan, the republican budget is the main financial document, on its basis the state budget is formed that includes other regional budgets. The population of the republic at present exceeds 15.5 m. persons. [2007-12-04]