RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT AGREES ON NEW TAX CODE; REVISED BUDGET.

Russian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin announced after a cabinet meeting on April 25 that the cabinet had agreed on the details of a new tax code that will be submitted to the Duma this week. He said he hoped it could be adopted before the end of this year. (Itar-Tass, April 25) In view of past parliamentary opposition, many observers are less than optimistic that adoption will come so easily.

According to First Deputy Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin, the government also approved a revised 1997 budget at its April 25 meeting. (RTR, April 27) Kudrin said a final version will be presented to the Duma by April 30. If the Duma does not pass the revised budget into law, Kudrin said the government will implement the plan anyway, since it cannot spend more than it receives.

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