Soviet Budget Boost To Consumer Goods

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31863, 16 December 1968, Page 17

Soviet Budget Boost To Consumer Goods

(N.ZyP. A. -Reuter—Copyright) MOSCOW, Dec. 15. The Supreme Soviet, ..the Soviet Parliament,' Voted into law a budget and economic plan for 1969 providing for a boost in consumer goods output and reducing the military’s slice of government spending. At the same time the 1517 deputies to the two-chamber body, meeting in joint session in the Kremlin, approved the revival of the once-feared title of Ministry of Internal Affairs, or M.V.D. for the Police Ministry. The budget for next year,

introduced on Tuesday by the Finance Minister (Mr Vasily Garbuzov) puts aside 17,700 m roubles for defence, the highest military appropriation in Soviet history. But this figure represents only 13.2 per cent of the entire budget, a drop of 0.3 per cent over the current year, when 13.5 per cent of Government spending went on arms. The plan allows for output of consumer goods to grow faster than that of heavy industry for the second year in succession, and sets a target of 7.3 per cent for industrial growth in 1969. It was also announced that East Germany was to Increase its defence and security budget next year by 500 m marks from 5800 m to 6300 m marks.