The Mongolian government on November 30 approved excise tax cut, road construction projects, a bill on youth development. The ministers agreed to further reduce excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel to support fuel importers, which have reportedly faced financial challenges due to the depreciation of the national currency, The UB Post reports.

The government approved cut of excise taxes to 160,000 MNT per ton for gasoline and 180,000 MNT per ton for diesel, the second tax cut since October 5.

A bill aimed to promote youth development was approved. The Minister of Justice and Interior Affairs and Minister of Labor and Social Protection have been instructed to prepare the bill for a full Cabinet review.

The bill addresses the development needs of citizens from the ages of 16 to 40, who made 42.9 percent of Mongolia’s population as of 2015.

Amendments to the Law on the Legal Status of the Capital were also approved. Ulaanbaatar authorities believe that the amendments will provide Ulaanbaatar with the legal status of a metropolitan city with a focus on safety, a healthy environment, good governance, competitiveness, and civic participation by enhancing the responsibilities of district mayors, administrators, entrepreneurs, and individual residents.

Cabinet agreed to expand the Ulaanbaatar Darkhan highway to become a four lane roadway. The highway’s construction would include renovating bridges, digging a 1,000 meter tunnel through Takhilt Hill, leveling hills along the roadway, and establishing crosswalks.

Prime Minister Erdenebat instructed Minister of Roads and Transportation Ganbat to study foreign and domestic financing resources for preparation of feasibility studies and drafting blueprints for the highway’s expansion.

A protocol on amendments to the Mongolia’s partnership and cooperation agreement with the European Union was approved as well.

The government has also endorsed conduct of a study to analyze household income across Mongolia in the first quarter of 2017.