The Cuban parliament on Dec. 15 opened its sixth session to review economic situation in 2010 and discuss plan to update its economic model.

The session was attended by President of the State Council and the Council of Ministers Raul Castro.

Participants discussed a proposal of a new taxation model on the free-market economic sector.

Earlier, on Dec. 14, 12 committees of the Cuban parliament passed an economic plan and the draft State budget for 2011.

In the fifth session of the parliament in early August, Raul Castro announced plans to expand the free-market model and cut redundant labour force in the State sector, which are the two most noteworthy topics in the plan to update the economy, which will be approved at the VIth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, slated for April 2011.

From early December, draft socio-economic plans and documents to be submitted to the Party Congress have been made public for comment.

Those documents include renewal policies that aim to overcome the current economic crisis in Cuba while still keeping to socialist planning, the policies call for expanding the private economic sector, streamlining State employees and reduce subsidies./.