The committee decided to recommend to the Duma on Wednesday neither to reject the government's draft nor to vote for it, he said. The committee's motion is virtually the same as one on Friday which failed to muster enough votes to pass.
Finance Minister Vladimir Panskov said he believed the Duma would decide Wednesday to transfer the budget to a reconciliation commission.
"We are ready for a dialogue with deputies, and willing to consider again the articles on revenues and expenditure, if a reconciliation commission is formed. But we won't agree to an increase in the deficit," he said.
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