Monday, October 30 2017 14:46

ArmInfo. "The Armenian  Ministry of Finance cares about the people and everything done is  done for the people," the head of the department Vardan Aramyan said,  responding to the remark that the citizens of the country are tired  of empty conversations and are waiting for the authorities to move  from words to deeds. The financial department of the country on  October 30 presented the draft budget of Armenia for 2018. According  to the minister, the Ministry of Finance cannot say today that the  quality of life of Armenians will change dramatically for the better.  The financial department, nevertheless, guarantees the performance of  those indicators that are laid in the draft budget for the next year.  In the context of improving the living standards of the country's  citizens, Aramyan noted the expectations regarding GDP per capita in  Armenia. By the end of 2016, the figure was $ 3532, according to the  results of the year 2017, $ 3,699 is expected, and by the end of next  year the figure will grow to $ 3,985.  "This means that the quality  of life gross domestic product per capita will record growth," the  minister said.

Another indicator of the change in the quality of life, as Vardan  Aramyan noted, is the dynamics of individual (final) consumption. In  2016, the indicator fell by 0.5%, due to the same external negative  shocks, and in January-June this year it grew by 4.5%. By the end of  2017, real growth of 5.7% is expected due to real consumption growth.  This, as explained by the chief financier, is conditioned by the  positive expectations of the Armenian population in terms of their  own incomes. In 2018, under conditions of ensuring the planned growth  budget of 4.5% GDP, real consumption growth of 6.5% is expected. At  the same time, as indicated in the Ministry of Finance, the growth  will be fixed in the private and public sector.

At the same time, according to Vardan Aramyan, if even in developed  countries to ask households about changes in the quality of life,  none of the respondents, even having 10-12% growth, will not say  about growth. The answer will be mostly neutral or negative.  According to the generally accepted canons and according to academic  literature, as the minister explained, one satisfied need is that the  need transformed into a request generates hundreds of new needs.  Today, the needs of the country's population are growing, yet, as he  reminded, in the year 96 our request was much more modest - everyone  dreamed only of a suit.  This, from the point of view of the  psychology of consumption, is normal, according to Aramian, it is  another matter that the government should ensure the satisfaction of  the needs and requirements of its citizens. "In this context, we are  confident that we are moving in the right direction," concluded the  head of the RA Ministry of Finance.