The government has proposed to submit a budget to Congress that would request somewhere between RD$120 billion and RD$125 billion for the year 2004. According to Listin Diario reporter Maximo Manuel Perez, RD$105 billion would be derived from the usual taxation, and another RD$20 billion would be obtained from external sources in the forms of loans and donations. If the budget is approved at the RD$125-billion level, it will represent spending of RD$42 billion more than the 2003 budget, which was pegged at RD$82.99 billion. According to Finance Minister Rafael Calderon, the President will next call a meeting of the National Development Council, who must approve the financial plan before it can be forwarded to Congress.