Chamber to decide on the budget for 2009 in December

The Chamber of Deputies is expected to vote on the government's draft budget for next year in the first week of December, according to a proposed timetable approved by the Chamber of Deputies budget committee. According to the timetable, the lower house should debate the budget bill in its final wording on December 3. Back in June, the government approved the draft 2009 state budget with a deficit of 38.1 billion crowns. Budget spending has been proposed at 1,053 billion, and the deficit set to about 1.5 percent of the GDP. The opposition Social Democrats have criticised the bill, saying it is evidence of the failure of the government's reforms.