Increase of budget expenditures and the world economic crisis
17.01.2009 14:36

Hasmik Dilanyan
`Radiolur’

Still at the end of 2008 people in Armenia were predicting that 2009
would be hard economic year. This time the world crisis is guilty. It
becomes clear from the words of our officials that there is no need to
worry. Moreover, they say 2009 is going to be a year of an `ambitious
budget that will combine the wishes and the opportunities.’ In 2009 the
judges and MP will be more secure. If everything proceeds according to
the predetermined scenario, at the end of the year corruption risks
will reduce in Armenia and better laws will be worked out.

At the time when the world financial crisis was storming all over the
world, our senior officials were saying Armenia was not concerned.
Moreover, upon his return from Washington Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan noted during his meeting with reporters that we could even
draw benefits from the world economic crisis. There is no more
financial stability on the world economic market. How will it affect
the financial stability on the Armenian market? In this regard PM
Tigran Sargsyan said: `We need to maintain the trust in our financial
institutions without expectations that are far from reality.’

Latter the main financial document ` the State Budget ` was put on
discussion. According to officials, it is socially targeted. Right at
the moment when the world was searching for ways to overcome the world
economic crisis, the expenditures of our state budget increased.
Opposition leaders were continuously stating that the buget included no
concrete steps for overcoming the world crisis. Instead, it envisaged
raise of judges’ salary, for example.

Again due to budget allocations, for the first time every MP will have
an assistant with the salary of 80 thousand AMD. Chairman of the
National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance-Credit and Budgeting
Issues Gagik Minasyan compares the salaries and expenditures of
Armenian Deputies with foreign MP, and considers that the opportunities
of Armenian MPs are very poor. `The countries with smaller budget
create more favorable conditions for Deputies. In this regard, the
adoption of the Law on assistants to Deputies was very fair,’ he said.

Will the high salaries and Assistants to MPs contribute to the
reduction of corruption risks in our country, elaboration of
practically applicable laws, overcoming the world crisis? It’s hard to
say now.