Why did opposition vote agaisnt draft budget?
By a vote of 71 to 37, Armenia's parliament today passed the 2013 state budget bill.
MPs of the four opposition factions voted against the bill that was approved by the parliamentary majority. The Heritage faction says the bill does not envisage an increase in the minimum wage and funding for science. Earlier, the government had rejected all the 75 budget-related proposals submitted by the party.
The same reply the government has to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun and again without reasoning.
"They admit that there is a black market but say they cannot fight against it with the methods we propose," says ARF-D MP Artsvik Minasyan. "It means they have been unable to collect another 50 billion drams."
Hrant Bagratyan, a lawmaker of the Armenian National Congress, knows where the government can find the money. "For example, we have suggested applying the principle behind the progressive income tax that will ensure profits. Similarly, we have suggested that the government stop constructing new buildings for the Central Bank."
The executive has rejected all the proposals saying they can be settled in the future. Hrant Bagratyan says they voted against the draft budget which will further deepen corruption and poverty in Armenia.
