The Executive Yuan set the government's 2010 budget at NT$1.74 trillion Thursday, and put paid to government workers' hopes for a pay rise next year. According to a press release issued by the Cabinet after a meeting, the government's revenue is expected to be NT$1.55 trillion, which is NT$121.9 billion, or 7.3 percent less than that of 2009, mainly due to decreasing tax income, which is forecast to shrink by NT$149.4 billion, or 11.79 percent. The NT$1.74 trillion outlay represents a decrease of NT$$69.3 billion, or 3.8 percent from the 2009 figure, because some public projects for that year will be financed by a 2009 special budget designed to stimulate economic growth. The NT$189.1 billion deficit between revenue and outlay, along with another NT$66 billion the government requires for debt servicing, means the government has to raise NT$255.1 billion, or 14.7 percent of the government's projected outlay, through loans. Of the government's total outlay, education, science and culture spending leads the pack with NT$353.6 billion, or 20.3 percent, followed by social welfare spending, at NT$325.3 billion, or 18.7 percent, defense spending at NT$288.9 billion, or 16.6 percent, and economic development spending at NT$210.8 billion, or 12.1 percent. Defense spending will account for more than 3 percent of the country's gross domestic production as promised earlier by President Ma Ying-jeou, according to the press release. 