The director of the National Budget Office, Ruben Pena Pichardo, said that the government expects to submit a RD$150-billion budget to Congress for 2005. As reported in the Listin Diario on Saturday, Pena said that the budget includes a 20-30% wage increase for public employees. By year’s end, he said, the 2004 budget, which was originally estimated at RD$122 billion, will most likely end up representing expenditures of RD$128-RD$129 billion.