Epress.am News from Armenia
Armenia’s 2012 state budget will encourage emigration more; essentially, it will be an emigration budget, said Armenain National Congress representative Hrant Bagratyan, who was prime minister of Armenia from 1993–96, while speaking to reporters in Yerevan today.
Bagratyan noted that there won’t be room for redistribution for the benefit of the people in the 2012 budget, since taxes on major taxpayers will amount to 2–2.5 billion drams, while, as a result of inflation, the added value of goods people will have to pay will be 50 billion drams.
“With all due responsibility I declare and invite the attention of both [Armenian President] Serzh Sargsyan and the Republican Party of Armenian [HHK]: listen, the density of major taxpayers and the rich into the account of use of national income will continue to increase. That is, 2012 is going to be a fruitful year for the rich, while poverty will continue,” he said.
Speaking as well about economic growth, Bagratyan said, when there’s an up to 3% annual decrease in population, which also leads to a reduction in consumption, it’s not possible to speak of any real possible growth.
“Again I’m making use of the occasion and I am issuing a warning: I know [Armenian Prime Minister] Tigran Sargsyan well — until he doesn’t destroy, he won’t go; he’s not one to build anything. I am advising HHK to draw conclusions. Perhaps he’s pulled the wool over the eyes of that party. You can’t go to elections without promising people at least something insignificant, at least promising that things won’t get worse. On the contrary, they say it’s going to get worse. This already contains some elements of cynicism. That is, the government says I’m not even going to try to do anything,” said the former PM.