Dubai expects to slow the growth of state spending this year but continue spending heavily on infrastructure as it prepares to host the Expo 2020 world’s fair, a statement by the emirate’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum said on Tuesday. State spending will total AED56.8bn (USD15.5bn), Dubai’s 2019 budget plan said. That would be only a marginal increase from last year’s original budget plan of AED56.6bn, which was a 19.5% rise from 2017. Meanwhile, state revenues are projected to reach AED51bn this year, up 1.2% from last year’s budget plan, the statement said.