New Budget Bill Advances in Parliament

The Joint Commission of Iranian Parliament on Tuesday agreed in principle to the budget bill of the next fiscal year (starting March 21) submitted by the government earlier in December.
Twenty-three members of the commission voted for, 19 voted against and one abstained, IRNA reported.
Majlis Joint Commission, comprising representatives of all parliamentary commissions, is responsible for reviewing budget bills as well as five-year development plans proposed by the government before they are put to a vote by MPs.
“The parliament speaker [Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf] assured in the closed morning session that the government and Majlis will work together to provide the needed resources [to balance next year’s budget],” Hossein Goodarzvand Chegini, a member of the commission, said.
The parliamentary approval comes after the budget bill came under fire by experts and even the research arm of Majlis for being “too optimistic” on the side of revenues.
As of Jan. 2, specialized committees will iron out the details of the budget, Chegini added.
In the new budget, the operating budget (including revenues derived mainly from taxation and exports at the disposal of the government) has been projected to stand at 8,413 trillion rials ($32.35 billion at the market exchange rate of 260,000 rials per dollar). 
Add to this, revenues earmarked for ministries and governmental institutions worth 884 trillion rials ($3.4 billion) take the total sum of the general budget to 9,298 trillion rials ($35.76 billion).
The budget of state companies, banks and for-profit organizations has been put at 15,619 trillion rials ($60 billion). 
All in all, the ceiling set for the government’s total budget is at 24,357 trillion rials ($93.68 billion).