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Yabloko advocates comprehensive financing of education
and science and preservation of privileges for schoolchildren.
A number of amendments to the law On Changes to Some Legislative
Acts in Connection with the Federal Law On the Federal Budget
for 2000", submitted to the State Duma Budget Committee
by Alexei Arbatov, Deputy from the Yabloko faction, adhere
to these objectives.
On April 21, 2000, this law was approved by the majority
of deputies of the State Duma. The Yabloko faction supported
the law on condition that Yabloko-s amendments, which protect
the well-being of certain social groups, such as researchers,
teachers, schoolchildren and students and workers of the
Closed Territorial Formations (ZATO) would also be adopted.
"We agree that it is necessary to abandon some privileges,
such as privileges for the state bureaucracy, but people
who really need support should not suffer", said Alexei
Arbatov commenting on the position of the Yabloko faction.
According to the new law, the scarce budget financing
of education and science, should be reduced even more.
The law On Education stipulates 3% of total budgetary expenditures
for the financing of education and the law On Science envisages
4% of the total budgetary expenditure for financing of science.
The government proposes to exclude these provisions from
corresponding laws. Deputies from Yabloko insist on preservation
of these provisions in the laws.
The government also proposed replenishing of the state
budget by abolishing free meals for schoolchildren and eliminating
the 50% transport discount for schoolchildren and students.
Alexei Arbatov characterised these attempts as immoral
and proposed retaining these privileges. The new law gives
ZATO no possibility to allot part of the revenues from the
taxes collected in their territory for internal needs. One
of the amendments introduced by Alexei Arbatov aims to preserve
this provision.
The Budget Committee of the State Duma must consider the
submitted amendments and, if they are approved, include
them in the text of the law On Changes to Some Legislative
Acts- The Yabloko faction will only support this law at
its second reading, if this condition is met.
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