Iran’s Cabinet approves next year’s budget bill

Xinhua: Iran’s cabinet members on Wednesday approved the budget bill for the next Iranian year (from March 21,2008 to March 20, 2009), the official IRNA news agency reported. TEHRAN, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) — Iran’s cabinet members on Wednesday approved the budget bill for the next Iranian year (from March 21,2008 to March 20, 2009), the official IRNA news agency reported.

Mahmoud Asgari-Azad, an official at the Presidential office, told reporters on the sidelines of the cabinet session that the bill was prepared in 50 pages. He did not further elaborate.

Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham on Tuesday expressed hope that next year’s budget bill would be submitted to the Majlis (Parliament) next week.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said last week that next year’s budget bill would be presented to the Majlis by mid-January.

Speaking to reporters after a cabinet session, Ahmadinejad said the government did its best to prepare the bill in the shortest period of time for presenting it to the legislative body.

Noting that the bill was prepared based on a “new structure,” the Iranian president said the government and Majlis tried to reach an agreement on the new structure through exchange of views.

Editor: Du Guodong