US embassy cable - 05VIENNA614

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GOA PRESENTS 2006 BUDGET TO PARLIAMENT

Identifier: 05VIENNA614
Wikileaks: View 05VIENNA614 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Vienna
Created: 2005-03-02 13:49:00
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Tags: PGOV ECON EFIN AU
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS VIENNA 000614 
 
SIPDIS 
 
TREASURY FOR OASIA/ICB/VIMAL ATUKORALA 
TREASURY ALSO FOR OCC/EILEEN SIEGEL 
TREASURY ALSO PASS FEDERAL RESERVE 
SECDEF FOR OSD/ISP/EUR 
USDOC PASS TO OITA 
USDOC FOR 4212/MAC/EUR/OWE/PDACHER 
PARIS FOR USOCED 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, ECON, EFIN, AU 
SUBJECT: GOA PRESENTS 2006 BUDGET TO PARLIAMENT 
 
Ref: 04 Vienna 4146 
 
1.  On March 2, Austrian Finance Minister Karl-Heinz 
Grasser presented the 2006 budget bill to parliament. 
For 2006, the GoA forecasts federal budget revenues of 
Euro 60.4 billion (USD 78.5 billion at the current 
exchange rate of USD 1.30 for Euro 1.00), expenditures of 
Euro 66.2 billion (USD 86.1 billion), and a deficit of 
Euro 5.8 billion (USD 7.5 billion).  The budget deficit 
amounts to 2.2% of projected GDP.  The GoA projects a 
corresponding consolidated public sector budget deficit 
in 2006 (EMU's Maastricht definition) at 1.7%, which 
assumes that states, local communities and other public 
bodies will produce a surplus of 0.5% of GDP.  The GoA 
still expects to return to a balanced budget in 2008. 
According to GoA projections, the consolidated public 
sector debt (encompassing all levels of government, 
according to the EMU's Maastricht definition) will 
decline to 62.8% of GDP at the end of 2006 from around 
64% at the end of 2005.  The 2006 budget bill is based on 
real GDP growth of 2.5%. 
 
2.  The GOA had already prepared the 2006 budget bill 
together with the 2005 budget last fall (reftel), but for 
constitutional reasons did not disclose any details at 
that time. 
 
3.  On March 3, parliament's plenary will hold a first 
discussion of the bill.  Starting March 8, parliament's 
Budget Committee will discuss the various budget chapters 
in detail, culminating in a final vote on the 2006 budget 
scheduled for April 7.  Embassy will provide more 
information on the 2006 budget, including reactions, as 
soon as details emerge. 
 
BROWN 

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