Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it plans to spend 955 billion riyals ($254.6 billion) with its 2022 budget. read more Following are comments from economists and analysts: MONICA MALIK, CHIEF ECONOMIST AT ABU DHABI COMMERCIAL BANK We estimate the oil-price assumption could be as low as $50-$55 per barrel, and even this would assume a conservative estimate of oil production increases, and steady Aramco dividend. We see the breakeven oil price for Saudi Arabia next year at $70 per barrel. The budget shows Saudi Arabia"s focus on efficiency of expenditure and on meeting the targets of a balanced budget by 2023. A big part of the spending restraint is because of (wealth fund) PIF and other investment programmes involving state entities that give space to cut back spending. MOHAMED ABU BASHA, HEAD OF MACROECONOMIC ANALYSIS, EFG HERMES The budget"s expected surplus in 2022 comes not only on the back of higher oil prices and production, but also on the back of scaling back COVID-related spending as well as continuing with transferring the investment burden to the state funds led by PIF. It will be interesting to see how the government manages the expected surpluses, especially if PIF is going to receive yet more transfers from the budget, something that would boost the fund"s ability to reach its targets for growing its total assets. ($1 = 3.7513 riyals) Reporting by Davide Barbuscia; Editing by Pravin Char Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.