NA committee discusses 2012 budget, casino business   NA Vice Chair Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan speaks at the session (Photo: VNA) Members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on April 17 focused their discussions on reviewing the 2012 State budget balance and the issuance of a decree on casino business activities. They agreed with the Government’s report on the budget issue, saying that ministries, agencies and localities performed well in their budget collection, planning and spending. According to the Government report, budget revenue exceeded the estimates set by the NA by 1.9 percent, ensuring resources for State management, the implementation of socio-economic development goals and maintenance of defence and security. Budget expenditure totalled 1,171 trillion VND (55.76 billion USD), 8.3 percent higher than the estimates. Regarding the casino business development, the committee members agreed with reports by the Government and the NA’s Finance-Budget Committee on the issuance of a decree on casino business activities. However, they noted that casino business development is a big issue that has great impact on the country’s socio-economic development and investment attraction, so it needs close management. New casino business projects are only licensed if the casino business development planning is approved, they said.-VNA