2004 Budget Is 160.9 Quadrillion TL

The High Planning Board announced the 2004 budget as being 160.9 quadrillion TL. The income in the consolidated budget is 114.5 quadrillion TL, while the budget deficit is foreseen to be 46.3 quadrillion TL.State Ministers Ali Babacan, Kursad Tuzmen, Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan, Industry Minister Ali Coskun, Health Minister Recep Akdag, Labor Minister Murat Basesgioglu, Agriculture Minister Sami Guclu, and Public Works Minister Zeki Ergezen attended the meeting of the High Planning Board, which gathered under Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener.Following the meeting, Sener said that the target level of primary surplus was 6.5% while the target per capita income was 3,645 dollars for 2004. Sener said that if the latter target was materialized, it would be the highest per capita income level ever attained in the history of the Republic. The predictions for the increases in Wholesale Price Index and Consumer Price Index by the end of 2003 are 16% and 20% respectively. Sener said that in 2004, the growth target of 2003, which is 5%, would be exceeded. The current deficit of 2004 will be 7.7 billion dollars.Â