Alexei Kudrin said that $4.3 billion would be made available in extra spending based on this year's additional budget revenues that would not be transferred to the Stabilization Fund.
The minister said budget spending would be increased for indexed fuel expenses for government agencies, including the Defense and Interior ministries, though he refused to cite the total sum.
The minister also said that about $525 million would be allocated to Russia's regions to pay for services provided by utilities, and $1.31 billion to increasing the fixed capital of Vneshtorgbank, Russia's state-owned bank that services Russia's foreign trade, now that the Central Bank has withdrawn from the capital of Russian banks based overseas. Moreover, Kudrin said the 2005 budget would earmark an additional $420 million for road construction, and $210 million for the fixed capital of the new Russia-Kazakhstan bank, which will be based in Kazakhstan.
