YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA budget expenditures in January-July 2006 made 237 bln 765.8 mln drams (540 mln 266 thousand USD), growing by 23.4% on the same period of last year. The ratio of these expenditures to GDP made 21.7% against 20.4% in the respective period of 2005. According to the RA National Statistical Service, Armenia's defence expenditures made 40 bln 13.4 mln drams in the first seven months of 2006 (a 11% growth compared with the same period of last year, while the ratio of these expenditures to GDP declined from 3.8% in January-July 2005 to 3.7% in the same months of this year). Expenditures on public order protection, national security and court systems made 20 bln 263.5 mln drams (30.1%, from 1.7% to 1.9%), expenditures on culture and science - 41 bln 294 mln drams (41.1%, from 3.1% to 3.8%), health care expenditures - 18 bln 251.2 mln drams (25.4%, from 1.5% to 1.7%), and social insurance and social security expenditures made 28 bln 666.1 mln drams (17.7%, remained at the level of 2.6%).

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