Opposition NA factions vote against government-submitted 2025 draft  budget

ArmInfo.  The opposition faction "Armenia" of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia will vote against the draft state budget for 2025 submitted by the  government. This was stated on December 3 during the discussions on  the final version of the draft basic economic law of Armenia by Artur  Khachatryan, a member of the National Assembly from the "Armenia"  faction. 

According to him, just a few days ago the opposition stated that all  the main parameters presented in the draft state budget were far from  reality. A short time later, the government assessed the reality by  reducing the economic growth rate indicators by 10%. The deputy  expressed confidence that these indicators will also be reduced,  since the authorities' claims about the presence of a 5.5% GDP growth  potential are simply false. "If GDP growth in three years was 10%,  then a 1.5% growth in just 1 year cannot lead to an increase in the  GDP growth potential of 5.5%," the deputy said.

He added that the economic growth rate is declining, the state budget  expenditure is not being fulfilled, the number of tourists is  decreasing, and the volume of transfers is also decreasing. At the  same time, the oppositionist continued, foreign trade will decrease  by 40% next year, the deficit will exceed 600 billion drams, and the  state debt will approach 6 trillion drams or more than 15 billion  dollars. 

Khachatryan noted that there is not a single area in which the  authorities have not failed. As of October of this year, according to  the RA Statistical Committee, the level of the country's economy (not  to be confused with GDP growth) has decreased by 5%. The reason for  this, according to the deputy, is the wrong economic policy of the  authorities. At one of the last meetings, instead of encouraging  local producers, the government provided benefits to a company that  imports milk powder and produces dairy products locally. 

"After all this, the authorities are surprised that agriculture is  not developing, citizens are leaving villages, lands are not being  cultivated, and instead of a real economy, we have only an idea of  the jewelry industry," the parliamentarian emphasized.

In response, Babken Tunyan, an MP from the ruling Civil Contract  faction, said that it seemed that the opposition was trying to  protect business from the authorities. "You shouldn't think that you  care about the GDP growth rate and the welfare of citizens more than  we do," said the representative of the ruling party.  He drew  attention to the fact that a 10% reduction in the GDP growth rate  sounds better than a 0.6% reduction. The MP added that the presented  version of the country's main economic law is designed to serve the  interests of each and everyone, calling for a vote for the 2025 state  budget draft. It should be noted that the revenue side of the state  budget of Armenia next year will be 2.837 trillion drams, the  expenditure side - 3.441 trillion drams, the deficit will be 604  billion drams. At the same time, the GDP growth rate is projected at  5.1%.