The State Duma, with fierce disputes, finally approved the Russian budget until 2019
Today in the State Duma, 10 fewer deputies voted for the final version of the Russian state budget for the next three years than in the second reading. Let us recall that at that time the main financial document of the country was supported by 325 people’s representatives, today 315 deputies voted “for” - the full composition of the United Russia faction.
Since the opposition justified its reluctance to vote for the budget on Tuesday, today deputies from the ruling party subjected their colleagues to severe criticism.
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“The opposition has quite smart and experienced deputies. They talk so freely that they will not vote for the budget because they are confident that the United Russia deputies present in the hall will vote “yes”. They, like children playing with matches, know that their parents will put out the fire if something happens,” these words of United Russia deputy Andrei Isaev were met with applause from his faction.
He compared the failure to pass the state budget to a tsunami.
“The first wave of this tsunami will collapse the ruble and destroy the country’s financial system, banks will collapse, investments will burn. The second wave of this tsunami is inflation. Savings will be burned and the poor will suffer the most. If the budget is not adopted, the state will not be able to fulfill its social obligations. In particular, pay all pensioners 5 thousand,” Isaev threatened the opposition.
The theme of fathers and children was picked up by A Just Russia deputy Alexander Burkov.
"I think the parents of this budget should be stripped of their parental rights ( applause ). We proposed an alternative budget, but our proposals were not heard. As a result, we are seeing a budget not just for conservation and stagnation, but for the decline of the Russian economy," Burkov said.
In response, the head of the budget committee, Andrei Makarov, became seriously furious.
“Here words were heard about deprivation of parental rights. Now, if children set fire to the house, parental rights should be deprived. Just who do you think you are? Children who set the house on fire, or bystanders who discuss how best to put out the fire? By the way, the budget also allocates funds for fire protection!” - said Makarov.
He proposed publishing the results of the budget vote not only in federal but also in regional media, and accused the opposition of lies and lack of professionalism. He called the alternative budget of A Just Russia “a little book the color of a child’s surprise,” and then turned to the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov.
“People expect us to solve problems, not horror films and stories about how everything will collapse. Gennady Andreevich, you promise us that it will collapse in 93. For some reason it didn’t collapse,” said Makarov.
To this, Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin made a remark to the deputy that “there is no need to get personal.”
“On 11 pages of the resolution, I did not see a single recommendation for Zyuganov, and you mentioned him several times. Political statements are the prerogative of faction leaders,” Volodin said.
The budget adopted by the State Duma for a three-year period provides for revenues in 2017 in the amount of 13,487 trillion rubles, expenses - 16,240 trillion rubles.
Revenues for 2018 and 2019 are projected at 14,028 trillion rubles and 14,844 trillion rubles, respectively, and expenses will amount to 16,039 trillion rubles in 2018 and 15,986 trillion rubles in 2019.
The federal budget deficit in 2017 will amount to 2,753 trillion rubles and will be gradually reduced to 2,011 trillion rubles in 2018 and 1,142 trillion rubles in 2019.
The State Duma, amid heated debate , finally approved Russia's budget until 2019.