MOSCOW. Aug 7: Russian taxpayers owed the federal budget 132.3 billion rubles (21.3 billion dollars) as of July 1. a top tax official said yesterday, reports AFP. •

Vladimir Popov told journalists that tax arrears to the federal budget were 39.4 per cent higher as of July 1 than they were six months earlier.

The situation with the consolidated budget, which includes debts to regional and local authorities, was predictably even worse, with some 234.2 billion rubles (37.8 billion dollars) owed as of July 1. an Increase of 36 per cent since the start of 1998. Popov said.