DUSHANBE , January 20, Asia-Plus - The revenue part of the 2005 national budget got 1.2999 billion Somonis, which is 2.2 percent or 43.9 million more than the stipulated target, Deputy Finance Minister, Qurbonali Azimov, told journalists.

Compared to the 2004 budget there was a 26.4 percent (271.4 million Somonis) increase in the revenue part of the last year’s budget, according to Azimov.  

At the same time the Tajik finance official noted that the tax bodies last year failed to fulfill the target on collection of the tax on purchase of cotton fiber (they received 3.6 million Somonis less than the stipulated target) and the tax on holders of transport means (408,000 Somonis less).    

The deputy finance minister also noted that the budget of the Social Security Fund was over-fulfilled by 0.9 percent and amounted to 206.9 million Somonis last year, which is 1.9 million more than the stipulated target.   

“In 2005, the organizations funded from budget remitted 52.6 million Somonis to the Social Security Fund, and the self-financing enterprises and organization remitted 154.3 million Somonis to the Social Security Fund,” Qurbonali Azimov said.

The official also noted that expenditures stipulated by the 2005 budget amounted to 1.318 billion Somonis or 99.7 percent of the stipulated budget.  “Of this amount, 252.5 million Somonis went to enhancing the education sector, 82.5 million Somonis were used for improvement of the health sector, 238.2 million were spent for social security of the population, and 96.1 million Somonis were spent on defense,” Azimov said.