RI`s budget surplus reaches Rp17 T

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s budget surplus in the first nine months of 2007 ended Oct. 31 reached Rp17.6 trillion, a minister said.

State revenues stood at Rp524.3 trillion and state expenditures at Rp506.6 trillion, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said at a working meeting with a Regional Representatives Council (DPD)`s ad hoc committee here Tuesday.

The state receipts and expenditures respectively represented 75.5 percent and 67.3 percent of the target set in the revised 2007 state budget, she said.

"Tax receipts have reached 76.8 percent of the target and non-tax state revenues 73.5 percent of the target," she said.

Until Oct. 31, the central government`s expenditures reached Rp310.1 trillion or 62.3 percent of the state budget and regional governments` expenditures Rp196.5 trillion or 77.3 percent of the state budget, she said.

The minister said the country`s inflation rate was expected to reach 6.5 percent and the economic growth rate 6.3 percent this year.

The rupiah`s exchange rate against the dollar was projected to average Rp9,125 per dollar, interest on three-month Bank Indonesia certificates 7.95 percent and oil production 910,000 barrels per day, she said.

The country`s foreign exchange reserves were expected to reach US$56.6 billion at the end of this year, she said.

She said exports would contribute 8 percent to economic growth, household consumption 5 percent and investment 10 percent.

In the revised 2007 state budget, the government has set the targets of economic growth at 6.3 percent, inflation at 6 percent, the rupiah`s exchange rate at Rp9,050 per dollar, interest on three-month Bank Indonesia certificates at 8 percent, the crude oil price at US$60 per barrel and oil production at 950,000 barrels per day.

Judging by the above indicators, the budget deficit was expected to remain at 1.5 percent or Rp58 trillion of the state budget with state receipts projected at Rp722.1 trillion, up by Rp28 trillion from the revised state budget and state expenditures at Rp780.3 trillion, up by Rp27.9 trillion from the revised state budget, she said.