MINIMAL MONTHLY SALARY IN ARMENIA TO RISE TO AMD 30,000 IN JANUARY, 2009

ARKA
Sep 25, 2008

YEREVAN, September 25. /ARKA/. Minimal monthly salary in Armenia will
rise by AMD 5,000 to AMD 30,000 on January 1, 2009, Armenian Deputy
Finance Minister Pavel Safaryan said at a governmental briefing
on Thursday.

"Although the 2009 state budget doesn’t imply salary rise, there are
some areas where the increase is implied by legal acts and natural
development", he said.

The deputy minister pointed out civil service, police and tax agencies
and culture as such areas.

Safaryan said that culture workers’ salary was raised 20% yet in this
July and is planned to be increased again by 10% in January 2009.

Library and museum personnel as well as culture centers’ employees
will have their average salary increased to AMD 40,000.

On Thursday, Armenia’s Government approved the draft budget for 2009.

The budget receipts will total 927.7bln drams. Expenditures are
expected to reach 967.1bln drams. The budget deficit will total 40bln
drams (less than 1% of GDP).