YEREVAN (Yerkir)–Armenian Revolutionary Federation Parliamentary bloc member Artsvik Minasyan told the National Assembly Thursday that in his assessment Armenia’s state budget was weak since the appropriations were not enough to meet the challenges facing Armenia.
Minasyan, who is also the vice chairman of the parliament’s standing commission on finance and budget, said the 2009 budget did not have any earmarks for wages, especially the base salary of civil servants, saying it is essential for parliament to adopt a strategy for public servants and their wages. He urged for parity in wages for all civil servants.
He also said that Armenia’s inflation was being addressed through a taxation policy, which even if government spending were to be cut, it would not be sufficient to control the rising inflation.
Minasyan also introduced several resolutions, one that would prohibit a change to Armenia’s national emblem and another which would prohibit employers from terminating individuals over 65. Another resolution called for the state recognition of August 11 as the traditional Armenian new year–Navasart–and the designation of the subsequent five days as holidays.