BEIRUT: Lebanon’s cabinet on Monday agreed the government’s 2018 budget and passed it to parliament for approval. Lebanon is under pressure to pass a budget and show it is willing to institute fiscal reforms before an international donor meeting in France in April. The country"s budgeted fiscal deficit for 2018 is 7.3 trillion Lebanese pounds ($4.8 billion), including the electricity deficit, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said. He said this was 220 billion Lebanese pounds ($145mn) less than in 2017. Lebanon is under pressure to pass the 2018 budget and show it is willing to institute fiscal reforms before a series of international donor meetings this year. The first meeting in Rome on Thursday will seek support for Lebanon’s armed forces. A conference in Paris in early April aims to fund infrastructure projects. Last year the government passed its first state budget since 2005 after years of wrangling between rival parties had all but brought political business to a halt. Khalil spoke at a conference after Lebanon’s cabinet agreed the 2018 budget and passed it to parliament for approval. The 2018 budget foresees 23.85 trillion Lebanese pounds ($15.8 billion) of spending and 18.69 trillion pounds ($12.4 billion) of revenues, he said. That compares with 23.90 trillion Lebanese pounds ($15.8 billion) of spending and 16.42 trillion Lebanese pounds ($10.9 billion) of revenues in the 2017 budget. Khalil said no new taxes were included in the 2018 budget. Last year the government passed its first state budget since 2005 after years of wrangling between rival parties had all but brought political business to a halt. Lebanon’s budgeted fiscal deficit for 2018 is 7.3 trillion Lebanese pounds ($4.8 billion), including the electricity defict, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said. He added this was 220 billion Lebanese pounds ($145 million) less than in 2017. Khalil also said no new taxes were included in the 2018 budget.