Sverdlovsk Region’s draft budget for the year 2008 was approved of by Sverdlovsk Region Duma Budget, Finance, and Taxes Committee (chaired by Vladimir Tereshkov) at a meeting attended by deputy chairs Askhat Masaev and Elena Chechunova, committee members Anatoly Maltsev and Georgiy Perskiy, the regional Minister of Finance Maria Serova, acting Sverdlovsk Region Minister of Economics and Labor Nikolai Bespamyatnikh, chairman of the Accounts Chamber Andrei Izmodenov, and some representatives of the Governor, of Sverdlovsk Region Government, of the region’s taxation bodies, and of the Institute of Regional Legislation.

The discussion of the region’s draft budget (presented by Governor Eduard Rossel at the Legislative Assembly meeting on September 20, 2007) was the main point on the agenda. The draft is to be further considered at the Duma meeting on September 25, 2007. In addition, reports were made by Andrei Izmodenov and by Sergey Kochnev of Sverdlovsk Region division of Federal Tax Service.

The proposed budgetary bill provides for nearly 108 million RUR worth of revenues and for the same amount of budget expenditures; no budget deficit is expected.