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Minsk, July 31 (Interfax) - The Belarusian budget had a surplus of 275 billion Belarusian rubles in the first half of 2009, or 0.45% of GDP, compared to 719 billion rubles, or 1.44% of GDP in the same period of 2008, the Finance Ministry told Interfax.

Budget revenue totaled 20.734 trillion rubles in the six months, or 99.7% of the plan for the first half and 37.8% of the plan for the full year.

Budget expenditures came to 20.459 trillion rubles in January-June, which is 96.5% of the plan for the half and 37.5% of the full-year plan.

The Belarusian parliament approved the 2009 budget with a deficit of 2.8 trillion rubles, or 1.81% of GDP, with revenue totaling 54.86 trillion rubles and expenditures amounting to 57.66 trillion rubles. In December 2008, the president ordered that the budget not have a deficit as required in a stand-by loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund. Thus, budget expenditures should decline by at least 2.8 trillion rubles if the current level of revenue is maintained.

The Belarusian budget had a surplus of 926 billion rubles in 2008, or 0.7% of GDP, although it was expected to have a deficit of 2.1 trillion rubles.

The official exchange rate on July 31 was 2,849 Belarusian rubles/ $1.